Join us for a thought-provoking and insightful session by Emma Johnson in The Arts Society at Firstsite (TASAF) Lecture series!

The Arts Society at Firstsite is an organisation about connecting people who have a passion for art.

TASAF is part of a global network of local societies, which bring people together through shared curiosity for the arts. You can learn more about it here. 

We offer a series of 10 talks* from accredited lecturers based around the UK. Lectures take place throughout the year from September to June on the third Tuesday of each month. 

Find out more about TASAF here.

Session Program 

Turner and Constable Romantic Rivals (Lecture by Antonia Cevizli)

Turner and Constable were exact contemporaries, born just one year apart. Tate Britain will be commemorating the 250th anniversary of the birth of these two giants of British art with the exhibition Turner and Constable running from Nov 2025 – Apr 2026.

Both artists painted mostly landscapes but had a very different vision of art, each radical in its own way. Their personalities couldn’t be more different: the rough and ready Turner, likened to a ‘dirty farmer’ by Delacroix, was in sharp contrast to the genteel Constable.

Their critical reception was also very different: Constable was not elected as a full member of the Royal Academy until he was 52; Turner was just 27.

Why was this? This talk will contrast the careers of these great artists with a detailed look at some of their most famous paintings.

About the Lecturer

Dr Antonia Gatward Cevizli is an independent art historian. She gained her PhD from the University of Warwick.

Antonia has lectured for a number of institutions including Sabancı University, Istanbul; Sotheby’s Institute of Art; the National Gallery; the V&A Academy and The Courtauld summer school.

Her interests are wide-ranging and she also worked across the collections of both Tate Modern and Tate Britain as a professional guide. She has lived in Siena, Venice and Istanbul.

Visit the Firstsite Café before or after TASAF Lecture Series session! 

Our cafés offer a wide selection of delicious snacks, cakes and light meals, along with hot and cold drinks which can be purchased to enjoy.

Find out more about our menus here 

*This price is the set fee paid by all members irrespective of the date they join the society.