Soltalk December 2018 | Page 26

The Arts Society, Nerja December sees a milestone for The Arts Society Nerja as we are celebrating our 25th Anniversary as NADFAS/The Arts Society which started with lectures at the Parador before moving onto the Cultural Centre. We have a busy day on Tuesday 11th December starting with a Charity 10k Fun Run by the Chief Executive of the national body of The Arts Society. Funds raised will be going towards our 2019 Project, Young Art for children at family risk in conjunction with the Jorge Rando Museum in Málaga and the international SOS-Children’s Villages (Aldeas Infantiles SOS) (member of UNESCO). Later that day we will be unveiling a sculpture by one of our Members at the Cultural Centre, Calle Granada at 5.15pm. This presentation is to recognise the 25 years of collaboration with the Ayuntamiento de Nerja and its Education & Culture Department. The evening lecture was chosen to complement our 25 years here in the Axarquia with the topic of the history of art, power and passion of Al-Andalus to remind us of our heritage here. artisanal legacy of Islamic Spain with a tour of the most important buildings of Andalusia including Córdoba's hauntingly beautiful Mezquita, Seville’s memorable Alcazar and Giralda Tower and the exquisite Alhambra Palace in Granada. Then the Anniversary Day is being rounded off with a Dinner and Music at the Parador Hotel with guests from the UK, “Head Office in London”, the Area Chairman and other Arts Societies along the coast. Water was an essential component of the Islamic garden and fountains still dazzle in the beautiful Generalife garden adjacent to the Alhambra whilst providing a mirror-like calm in the depths of the water mine in Ronda’s Casa del Rey Moro. Many luxury crafts flourished in Moorish Spain including fine silk-weaving at Almería, ivory-carving in medieval Córdoba alongside paper-making, metal-working and pottery. Hispano- Moresque ceramic lustre-wares made in 15th Century Málaga and Valencia were exported as far as England and had an important role in the development of Italian Renaissance maiolica. As Muslim power waned during the Reconquista followed by the power of the Habsburg monarchs, elements of Moorish architectural, musical and aesthetic heritage survived and synthesised with the new Christian culture. The lecture concludes with the passion for the art of Andalusia shown by Victorian artists including Owen Jones and William de Morgan and later writers and artists such as Gerald Brennan and Dora Carrington. Tuesday December 11th 2018 6:00pm in the Cultural Centre, Calle Granada, Nerja Tickets only available on the night from 5.00pm Spain: a history of art, power and passion - a memory of Al-Andalus A fully illustrated Lecture in English by Anne Haworth BA (Hons). Sponsored by The Anniversary Friend of The Arts Society Nerja. Visitors are most welcome €10 About Anne Haworth Lecturer at the V&A. Guide for private tours of the State Rooms and The Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace. Lecturer in British Painting for American students resident in London. In Autumn 2002, catalogued collection of Chinese porcelain at Kensington Palace. From 2002 - 2005, a committee member of the French Porcelain Society. From 1995 - 2002, was resident in Shanghai, China, visited ancient kiln sites and lectured to expatriate groups. From 1981 - 1995, trained and became a senior ceramics specialist at Christie's and Bonham’s head offices. In 711 AD, Spain was conquered by Moorish armies from North Africa who named this country Al-Andalus. A magnificent golden age of building and culture flourished during subsequent centuries. The lecture focuses on the architectural, horticultural and 24