Seeing Is Believing
Discovery Day
8 February 2024
The Sun Sets Sail by Rob Gonsalves
A thought-provoking presentation, well illustrated with carefully chosen examples taken from both popular culture and the fine arts. The first half of the day explores what illusions are, before explaining why and how they deceive us. We then examine how illusions have been used both ‘in art’ and ‘as art’, looking at examples from artists as diverse as William Hogarth, René Magritte and the extraordinary sculptures of Bruno Catalano. Ukrainian artist Oleg Shupylak continues to intrigue us with hidden ‘pictures in pictures’ and the beautiful transformational paintings by Rob Gonsalves will not be forgotten quickly.
The final lecture concerns Colour and is built on the premise that our appreciation of colour is at the very core of our common interest in art and the arts. But what is colour? This is not as simple as it seems. Is it the object itself that has colour, a banana is yellow because it is ‘yellow’? Or is colour something that only exists inside our heads?
Do we all experience colour similarly? What is a colour scheme and why do some colours go well together and others not? Why are some people 'Colour Blind'? John uses his own colour blindness to explore the nature of colour and how we see it.
Our Speaker John Ericson was formerly a lecturer at the University of Bath, where he was Director of Studies in the School of Education with responsibility for the professional development of teachers. He has worked extensively overseas as an educational consultant and this has given him the opportunity to give lectures and presentations at conferences all over the world. Over the last decade he has been a popular speaker on the Arts Society circuit in the UK and Europe, as well as a frequent visitor to the societies in Australia and New Zealand.
In his professional life he has developed a particular interest in presentation skills including the role of pictures in learning and the appropriate use of PowerPoint. This coupled with his ability to relate well to people of all ages and backgrounds makes him an impressive and confident public speaker.
As well as the talks he has developed from his professional background, he offers presentations on an eclectic range of topics that are derived from his diverse interests and enthusiasms, such as Art Inspired by Wine, Visual Illusions in Art and The Shakers of North America.
John Ericson