The Arts Society Alton kicked off the New Year with a visually stunning lecture. There was less of an educational flavour to it but more of awe and wonder of a succession of the beautiful paintings we have in our national collection. Searching the National Gallery website with Virgin and child as the keywords 434 pictures were identified amongst the 2,500 in the Collection. Anthony led us chronologically and stylistically through a selection of the astonishing pictures that are free to view for all of us. We are 75 minutes from Trafalgar Square but if travel is tricky I so recommend a dip into the NG website to marvel. It’s easy to search and then click on a particular picture and there is a wealth of information about it.

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There was also an element of mindfulness during the talk as Anthony paused with each image to allow us to absorb the serenity and beauty of these works from 13th century two dimensional wood panel paintings to the luxurious and gilded paintings of the High Renaissance. The cult of the Virgin waned after the Reformation as a central tenet was praying direct to God rather through the Virgin Mary or the saints.

Lucy Picton-Turbervill