Enjoy a journey through Natural Encounters listening to a series of short talks from the team at Leeds Art Gallery. The exhibition spans 400 years of nature in art, exploring the different strategies artists have used to approach, interpret or respond to nature. In Talking: Natural Encounters, staff and the gallery’s Youth Collective share their personal response and interpretation of individual artworks and invite you to do the same. The series was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Helios
A talk by Amanda Phillips, Learning & Access Officer
Our first talk examines the bright and beautiful Helios by Gillian Ayres, including insights into how the work has inspired young audiences at Leeds Art Gallery.
Ash Dome
A talk by Laura Claveria, Assistant Curator
In this detailed talk, we discuss how David Nash has created a significant and varied body of work, in which the relationship between humans and nature is a central theme.
Music of the Spheres
A talk by Angie Thompson, Youth Engagement Officer
Halima Cassell creates a mood and feeling of dynamic tension in her work, pushing the boundaries of material to its limits as told through Music of the Spheres (Series 1).
Outcast Coal Production
A talk by Erin Saunders of the Youth Collective
Graham Sutherland’s abstract landscapes depict a greatly individualist and personal response to nature. We discover how they capture the grisly and poignant legacy of the Second World War.
Power to the People
A talk by Holly Grange, Exhibitions Curator
Discover how one artist, one mayor and thousands of citizens secured a park for the people of Leeds.
Featuring a special guest cameo from Leeds comic, musician and poet Micky P Kerr.
Walking & Marking
A talk by Lucy Couch, Visitor Assistant
Two works in the Natural Encounters exhibition are a record of an artist walking or marking the landscape of a particular time or place. Discover more about the selected works by Richard Long and Hamish Fulton.
The Tree of Life
A talk by Jonny Kidd, Visitor Assistant
Delve into the fascinating life of the self-taught outsider artist Scottie Wilson. He left a legacy of innovative artwork and an attitude that whatever your age or background, you can create art as you want.
Atkinson Grimshaw and the inspiration of nature
A talk by Megan Dobbyn, Visitor Assistant
John Atkinson Grimshaw was largely inspired by nature, especially in his earlier works. This talk focuses on Dead Linnet, a macabre yet eerily beautiful painting produced in 1862.
Medicine Wheel
A talk by Natascha Clissold, Visitor Assistant
Uncover the inspiration behind Chris Drury’s environmental art with a particular focus on Medicine Wheel. Created over one year, the sculpture is a tangible record of the changing seasons in the English countryside and emotionally challenging times in the artists life.
A Winter Experience
A talk by Christabel Mitchell, Visitor Assistant
What is this puzzling meringue like piece covered in barnacles and a chessboard? This talk considers Andrew Sabin’s inspiration in creating the playful and mysterious sculpture Penn Ponds in Winter.
Researching the practice of Veronica Ryan
A talk by Maya Jagger of the Youth Collective
An exploration of grief through the work of Veronica Ryan, considering different approaches and a brief history of the artist’s life.
Inspiring oak trees
A talk by Megan Dobbyn, Visitor Assistant
Oak trees, gods of the forest, ancient spaces for worship, meeting spaces and creative inspiration. This talk focuses on local oak trees and their connection to the Leeds Art Gallery collection.