The Art Appreciation group is a long-running group within u3a Norton Radstock. The aim of the group is to look at the work of artists and their achievements and see how they fit into art history. We do this through films, talks discussions and visiting local art galleries such as the Holburne Museum, in Bath and the Victoria Art Gallery

Members have been prepared to put on power point presentations and we have all learnt new and unusual facts.

We started the winter term with a talk on “Flowers in art”. We found that flowers had meant a great deal to people of many civilizations. Firstly, in China in the 13^th century beautifully observed plants painted on silk. A European artist Maria Sibylla Merian who was an artist of exceptional originality, organized a voyage at the age of 52 to Surinam in South America. She illustrated many plants and insects in the region, we finished our talk with images of flowers by Monet and Renoir.

In March (2026) we looked at artists who travelled to the South of France in late 19^th and early 20^th century. They gravitated to the hot weather and cheap living, producing some of their most original art.

Later in the Summer we plan a trip to Wilton House and to enjoy lunch. At the moment the group is full.

We meet on the third Monday of the month from 2-4 pm.