Academic

CURRENT:

Short Course

An Introduction to Art History through the Atkinson Collection

Join Anna to explore the history of art through examples from the Atkinson’s rich and varied collection. This accessible course looks at different genres in art, such as history, portraiture, landscape and still life, and considers issues of form, subject, style and symbolism. Themes including academic art education and practice, the status of women artists, and changing fashions in the art world are also touched upon as we uncover ways to appreciate, understand and enjoy the selected works.

3 Sessions: Thursdays 16 / 23 /30 April, 11am – 1pm.

The Atkinson, Southport

Check website for further information and booking:

https://www.theatkinson.co.uk/events/session-1-introduction-history-art-dr-anna-madison/

RECENT PAST COURSES:

Saturday Study Day

‘The Most Discussed Painter in England’: Rediscovering John Maler Collier

Join us as we delve into the fascinating career of Victorian artist John Maler Collier! Collier’s fame today rests upon his much-loved depiction of Lilith (1887), the archetypal femme fatale and mythical first wife of Adam, before Eve. However, his reputation as a leading artist was firmly established in his own time. A society portraitist, Collier painted many celebrated figures of the day, including Rudyard Kipling, Charles Darwin and his own father-in-law, scientist Thomas Henry Huxley, nicknamed ‘Darwin’s Bulldog’ for his support of evolutionary theory!

Collier delighted the gallery going public with the drama and ambiguity of his modern life subjects. Known as ‘Problem Pictures’, these paintings became a feature of the London social season as visitors tried to guess the story in the pictures. Collier’s history paintings similarly feature a colourful cast of characters, from the murderous Clytemnestra of Greek Myth to our own Lady Godiva.

This course will explore all this and more! We’ll address Collier’s mastery of the academic nude, his seamless blending of the Neoclassical and Pre-Raphaelite styles, and his wife Marian’s career as an artist.

The course is a precursor to an exhibition on John Collier at the Atkinson, Southport opening Summer 2027, of which I am Co-Curator. It provides a grounding for keen ‘gallery goers’ in anticipation of the forthcoming display of his works.

A single session on campus on Saturday 21 March, 10am - 1pm

Liverpool University Continuing Education

On campus at The University of Liverpool

Check website for details: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/continuing-education/choose-your-course/historical-studies/art-and-art-history/themostdiscussedpainterinenglandrediscoveringjohnmalercollier/

Lecture

‘Mrs. Kendrick Pyne’ by Ford Madox Brown

Victorian artist Ford Madox Brown specialised in historical subjects and scenes of everyday life, combining a Hogarthian sensibility with a Pre-Raphaelite style – seen most strikingly in his masterpiece Work (1852-65) which remains an important cultural document of life in Victorian Britain. This talk considers the portrait of Mrs. Kendrick Pyne alongside important works from Madox Brown’s career, including his avant-garde landscape paintings, his design work, and his ambitious Manchester Town Hall murals.

The work is currently on display in the Atkinson’s 150th Anniversary Exhibition, and, as a bonus, the talk will include brief reference to other works in the current exhibition by artists in Madox Brown’s circle!

Wednesday 14th January, 2026, 1-2pm

The Studio, The Atkinson, Southport

Free gallery talk (donations welcome). Check website for further information.