blue, cobalt blue, Haystacks, Renoir, Starry Night, The Umbrellas, Thenard, Van Gogh, Vermeer

‘Cobalt – a divine colour…for putting space around things’ Van Gogh

15th July

  The metal cobalt has been used for centuries as an ingredient in glass making. It can be found in the luminous bright colours of medieval stained glass windows, as well as in the blue and white pottery of China produced during the Tang dynasty. Then, in the nineteenth century, the pigment cobalt blue was produced...

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A Young Woman seated at a Virginal, A Young Woman standing at a Virginal, Guitar, Jotter pad, Lute, Music in art, musicians, Vermeer

Vermeer & Music in Art: A Portable Pharmacy for the Soul…

29th August

Music permeated life in seventeenth century Delft, as well as in other European countries. It was common practice for music to be performed, by women especially, but also by men, as a way of entertaining guests and others in the room. Music could be heard inside homes, outside by street performers and at special events...

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blue, blue pigment, calm, copper azurite, craft, Girl with a Pearl Earring, lapis lazuli, love of making, oil on canvas, shimmering, The Lacemaker, ultramarine, Vermeer

The Blue of Vermeer…

30th November

  The much loved seventeenth century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer remains something of an enigma, even today.   After his death in 1675, unlike many artists, Vermeer did not leave behind any drawings or plans of his paintings, nor any diaries.  Yet we have come to recognise and relish the idyllic quality that Vermeer captures in...

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