Soltalk January 2018 | Page 39

The Arts Society Nerja (formerly Nerja NADFAS) Tuesday, January 9 Riviera Paradise: Art, Design And Pleasure In The 20s and 30s A fully illustrated Lecture in English by Mary Alexander, sponsored by Liberty Seguros. Since the C19 English high society had ‘wintered over’ on the Cote d’Azur, but always left by April. In the early 1920s however, an intoxicating mix of artists, writers, musicians and international visitors, inspired by a mythological seascape of luminous colours, created a new summer season. Sun tans and sportswear soon became ‘de rigueur’ in the chic new coastal resorts, villas and hotels. This liberating playground of ideas across the visual design arts was stimulated by impresarios Serge Diaghilev and Paul Poiret. Traditional boundaries were torn down. Matisse, Picasso, Dufy, Cocteau, and Chanel merged the worlds of fashion, theatre and interiors. Cole Porter, Scott Fitzgerald, and the intriguing Gerald and Sara Murphy, introduced an American perspective and attracted an influential new set of discerning patrons and collectors. We will ‘time travel’ to meet them. About Mary Alexander Thirty years’ experience as a lecturer, with a BA in History and History of Art and a MA with distinction in History of Art from University College London. Experience includes public lectures in museums, tutoring for the Open University, visiting lecturer at Christie’s Education in London, museum curator at Platt Hall, the Gallery of Costume, Manchester. Now a freelance lecturer to various arts, heritage and antiquarian societies. She also worked in Pentagram design consultancy in London and New York, organising conferences and special events. Author of various articles on design and visual awareness issues, her background combines an unusual blend of academic and visual communications skills. Lectured for ADFAS Australia and New Zealand in 2011 and 2013. Mary is an enthusiastic member and President of The Arts Society Glaven Valley. Tuesday, January 16 Federico García Lorca: His Life, Times And Literary Legacy Accompanied by readings of his poetry. A fully illustrated Lecture by Roberta Kettel, sponsored by De Cotta Law. A description of the life and works of the most well-known Spanish poet and dramatist of the 20th century - an iconic figure personifying the tragedy of the Spanish Civil War. His life is seen against the background of Spanish history at that time from the 1898 Spanish American War (the year of his birth) through the Primo de Riviera dictatorship and the Second Republic to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 (the year of his execution). The themes of his works - he wrote eleven books of poems and 9 plays - will be discussed, and there will be readings of a selection of his poems in Spanish and English, as well as a look at the importance of the three Spanish cities in his life: Granada, Madrid and Barcelona, and his close friendship with Salvador Dali´. About Roberta Kettel Roberta Kettel has lived in Spain since 1991 and has been involved with The Arts Society Nerja (NADFAS) in Nerja since its beginnings in 1993. Roberta was the society’s chairman for four years from 2002-2006, and has organized more than twenty trips around Spain for the society between 1996-2008. She is presently responsible for the Capistrano lecture season, organises trips for the Capistrano Travel Club, and has given lectures on different topics associated with Spanish culture and literature to the Nerja History Group and the other 4 The Arts Societies along the Costa del Sol. She talked to us about Hemingway in October 2016. Both lectures will be held at The Cultural Centre (Centro Cultural, Calle Granada, Nerja) and will start at 6pm. (Doors open at 5pm and tickets are only available on the night). For more information contact Helen Sijsling 660 907 856.