Lydia Bauman - Expolres Jan Van Eyck: The Portraits

Jan Van Eyck: The Portraits

Jan van Eyck’s portraits invite us to look closely at the people and objects he painted. Their remarkable detail brings individual faces, clothing and surroundings vividly to life, offering a compelling encounter with the world of his sitters.

Lydia Bauman’s lecture introduces an exhibition bringing together all nine of the artist’s known painted portraits. Through these works, she explores the people he knew and depicted, including relatives, craftsmen, merchants and newlyweds.

The lecture includes an in-depth examination of the Arnolfini Portrait, painted in 1434. This celebrated work provides an opportunity to appreciate van Eyck’s close observation and the extraordinary effects he achieved with oil paint.

Join us for a closer look at an artist whose portraits continue to fascinate, and discover how his technique gives such a powerful sense of presence to the people he portrayed.

Lecturer: Lydia Bauman

Born in Poland, Lydia Bauman studied Fine Art at Newcastle University, where she received the John Christie Scholarship and the Hatton Award. She subsequently completed an MA in History of Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, receiving a distinction for her thesis on Matisse’s illustrations to poetry.

Lydia divides her time between painting, exhibiting and lecturing to adult audiences. She has taught at London’s National Gallery for more than 35 years, as well as at Tate and the National Portrait Gallery. Her lecturing has also taken her to international collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Hermitage and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Since March 2020, Lydia has devised and delivered more than 180 online lectures for her group, Art For The Uninitiated. Her work combines the knowledge of an art historian with the practical perspective of a practising artist.

Date: Tuesday 16th February 2027
Time: 2.30pm - Please arrive a little earlier to be seated.
Venue: Firstsite, Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1JH.