Group Leader: John Hopwood
Frequency: on the second and fourth Monday of each Month.
Venue: La Senieta (Theatre), Moraira
Past U3A President John Hopwood is the Group Leader of the Art & History Group.
John has been joined by Adrian Gracia and Colin Donadio who act as Assistant Group Leaders.
John is working hard to prepare new lists of speakers to present talks and is pleased to confirm that most dates in 2023 are already booked.
The presentations cover a very varied and interesting selection including Artists and Art History as well as the History of Individuals and Historical Periods and events which are well illustrated and professionally presented on a large screen via the in-house projection systems.
All members of our U3A are welcome to attend the talks and it is not necessary to book or reserve seats but it is recommended that you let us have your email so that we can keep you up-dated with information on future talks.
Full details of up-coming talks are available in the Art & History Group section of the U3A Website.
Members who have visitors are also welcome to bring them along to enjoy our talks.
Upcoming Art & History Talks
April 22, 2024
Pauline Gower. Pioneering Leader of the Spitfire WomenA&H Template event
Pauline Gower was the leader of the Spitfire women, a group of courageous pioneers who took exceptional risks to fly Spitfires, Hurricanes and Lancasters to the frontlines of World War II …
May 13, 2024
Architecture and Public Art in the Valencian Community
We shall take a tour of the Comunidad Valenciana, one of the 17 Autonomous Communities into which Spain is divided; it is made up of three provinces: Valencia, Alicante and Castellón. We’ll visit the three principal cities (the provincial capitals) and we’ll explore a range of other towns and villages across the region, from Orihuela in the south, close to the border with Murcia, to Benicarló in the north, close to Catalonia. We’ll look at some of the more interesting and attractive buildings, and at the art that greets the …
May 27, 2024
The History of Ice on Planet Earth
Our planet has been completely ice free for most of its 4.5-billion-year history. So, the fact that we have ice caps in Greenland and in Antarctica today is unusual. In the first part of this talk we will see how it was possible for events to change so that that ice covered most of the planet on at least two separate occasions. In the second part we will look more closely at the relatively recent ice ‘age’ which was (only) 30000 years ago but it is significant as it represents …
June 10, 2024
We’ll always have Paris
Travel back in time to the years of the Second World War – as you’ve almost certainly never known them before. Author David Ebsworth tells the “stranger than fiction” stories behind his 2021 novel, A Betrayal of Heroes. Tales of Casablanca and Brazzaville, of the Spaniards who fought for Free France, of the 1940s celebrities and spies who fill the novel’s pages. Prepare to be amazed! David is a very accomplishes speaker and he certainly entertained our members extremely well the last time he addressed us. One not to be missed! …
June 24, 2024
The History of the Automobile
La Marquise 1884. The oldest car in the world which is still running. Most historians agree that Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot of France was the constructor of the first true automobile. Cugnot’s vehicle was a huge, heavy, steam-powered tricycle, and his model of 1769 was said to have run for 20 minutes at 2.25 miles (3.6 km) per hour while carrying four people. He could have had little idea how the Automobile was to develop and advance in following years. This talk details how the automobile advanced from a simple idea to …
September 9, 2024
Joy Adamson (1910-1980): naturalist, artist and author.
Friederike Victoria “Joy” Adamson was a passionate, temperamental and controversial woman. Although she married three times and was an infamous seducer, she never experienced happiness with any of her husbands or lovers. She won international renown with her African wildlife books, especially the trilogy describing how, together with her last husband, George Adamson, she raised a lion cub, Elsa, and returned it to its natural habitat. All three were best sellers that were later developed into films and condensed into one volume as The Story of Elsa (1966). During her …
September 23, 2024
Serendipity
Serendipity is a remarkable phenomenon which happens when we come across a fortunate event purely based on chance. We will see that a significant number of scientific discoveries throughout history have been made by mistake; such that the intended result failed but the unintended consequence was so dramatic and beneficial that the researcher was awarded a Nobel prize. A well-known example is that of the work of Alexander Fleming who had the foresight to realise that the mouldy formation in a dirty petri dish could be useful. At the time …
October 28, 2024
Sister Queens
In the late 15 th Century, the Spanish Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Ferdinand, used their children to create a complex web of alliances mainly to curtail the power of France.Two of their daughters, Catalina and Juana, became Queens, but neither got to rule for long as they weredeceived by the powerful male members of their families.This presentation outlines their lives and attempts to answer controversial questions that are still asked ofthem. Juana with her dead husband´s coffin …
November 25, 2024
Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842), the foremost woman artist of her age
Marie-Antoinette-and-her-children Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun exerted her considerable charm to become the friend, and then official portraitist, of Marie Antoinette. Though profitable, this role made her a public and controversial figure, and in 1789 it precipitated her exile. In a Europe torn by strife and revolution, she nevertheless managed to thrive as an independent, self-supporting artist, doggedly setting up studios in Rome, Naples, Venice, Milan, Vienna, St. Petersburg, and London. Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun was a singularly gifted and high-spirited woman during the revolutionary era, connected with such personalities of …
Here is the > Art & History talks schedule for 2023 <
List of Art & History Lectures May 23-Nov 24
List of Art Appreciation and History lectures from Sep 2009 to 2013
Lecture Theatre
Directions to the Espai la Senieta (same building as the Tourist Office)
Contact the Group Leader: art_history@u3amoraira-teulada.org
Problems using this email link?
A & H Video Library
These videos have been prepared to counteract the 2020 restrictions.
New Video: The Architectural Legacy of Moorish Spain
By Peter Atkinson More Art and History lectures recorded as videos here ...
New Video: The life and work of Antoni Gaudi
By Peter Atkinson More Art and History lectures recorded as videos here ...
New Video: Intersecting Lives JFK and LBJ
By Peter Atkinson John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson: their lives, personalities and careers, with an emphasis on the 60s, the decade of their presidencies. The principal issues were the cold war, civil rights, Vietnam, and the assassination and its aftermath. It is a story of two fascinating individuals, ...
Outdoor Art in Spain: Architecture, Sculptures and Murals
By Peter Atkinson A comprehensive tour of the art and architecture that can be viewed in Spain’s outdoors, from whole buildings to minor architectural details and stand-alone artworks, including the transient or trivial as well as the monumental and permanent. Banksy said “art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. ...
The Life and Wonderful Works of the Artist Joaquin Sorolla
By John Hopwood Born in Valencia to a wealthy family of fabric makers and then orphaned at the age of three being raised by his aunt, the wife of a poor locksmith, this artist rapidly became famous for his wonderful paintings. He was particularly well known for his wonderful beach ...
The History of the Automobile
By John Hopwood. Commences with an introduction to La Marquese which is the oldest car in the world which is still in full working condition and then goes on to discuss the very earliest ideas and designs for a road vehicle. It includes many amazing concept cars as well as ...
The History of the Bicycle.
By John Hopwood. This is a slightly humorous look at the history of the bicycle from the first push bikes through the many different designs to the latest racing and mountain bikes. Contains many little-known facts about the bicycle and is equally of interest to enthusiastic bikers as well as ...
The Life and Works of David Hockney
By John Hopwood. The quite detailed story of this wonderful artists life from his humble beginnings in Bradford to becoming the most expensive living artist in the world. His first picture which was of his father, sold at an art fair in Leeds for £10. His most expensive work, Portrait ...
The Life and Art of Grayson Perry
By John Hopwood. The full story of this artist’s life from his very difficult childhood through to his great success being the only potter ever to wind the Turner Prize and his many achievements as a potter, an engraver, a tapestry maker, an author, a Reith Lecturer and a much ...
The History of Woolworths and the Amazing Exploits of Members of the Woolworth Family
By John Hopwood. An in-depth look at the life of Frank Winfield Woolworth and the way in which he built the largest chain store group in the world as well at the tallest building in the world. The talk continues with the amazing outlandish lives of his grandchildren Barbara Hutton ...
Video of A&H Lecture: The Magic That Was the Concorde
If you enjoyed the lecture you can watch it again and, if you missed it, for the first time, by clicking on the video below. Lecturer: Pete Carrigan Pete was a flight engineer 3rd pilot, and flew for 28 years for British Airways. He accumulated over 10,000 hours on 747s over 15 ...
The History of Natural and Man-Made Glass
By John Hopwood. Briefly describes the various types of naturally occurring glasses and then follows with some in-depth discussion of how glass was first discovered, how it became a wonderful art form as well as a highly technical product with some interesting illustrations throughout ...