The Art of Moonlight: Joseph Wright of Derby to John Atkinson Grimshaw

The Art of Moonlight: Joseph Wright of Derby to John Atkinson Grimshaw

Under moonlight, the familiar world is transformed. Shadows deepen and colours fade. The world takes on an ethereal beauty that daylight never reveals. From the flicker of candlelight to the soft shimmer of gaslight, this series traces how artists working in Britain captured the mystery and poetry of the night.

The series begins with Joseph Wright of Derby, whose glowing scenes of experiment and revelation reflect the confidence and wonder of the Enlightenment.

In Samuel Palmer’s visionary landscapes, moonlight falls upon the fields of Kent like a benediction, charged with Romantic imagination.

With James McNeill Whistler, the Thames turns to pure mood: his ethereal Nocturnes dissolve the boundaries between light, air and water.

And in John Atkinson Grimshaw’s haunting streets, gaslight glows through mist and rain, transforming the modern city into a dreamscape

For more information and to find out about future talks please visit www.stellagracelyons.co.uk

Stella Grace Lyons is a freelance Art History lecturer, speaker and writer accredited with The Arts Society. She has lectured across the UK, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Malaysia and will soon embark on a lecturing tour in Australasia.

Stella gained her BA in the History of Art with a 1st class in her dissertation from the University of Bristol (2007-2011), and her MA in History of Art from the University of Warwick.

She spent a year studying Renaissance art in Italy at the British Institute of Florence, and three months studying Venetian art in Venice. In addition, she attended drawing classes at the prestigious Charles H. Cecil studios in Florence, a private atelier that follows a curriculum based on the leading ateliers of nineteenth century Paris.

Stella runs her own Art History lectures and is a regular lecturer in the UK and Europe for The Arts Society, ACE Cultural Tours, Hebridean Island Cruises, Saga’s Art Appreciation Tours, and the National Trust, amongst others. Stella is also a part-time lecturer for the University of South Wales.

She has written about art for several publications and her article on Norwegian art was recently featured on the front cover of the Arts Society Magazine. In addition to her lecturing work, Stella works as an artist’s model for the internationally renowned figurative artist, Harry Holland.