How Artworks Have Evolved Over Time

How Artworks Have Evolved Over TimeToday, we went to the VMFA to learn more about different types of artwork ranging from back in the renaissance to modern times.  Douglas, who was our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the artworks around the museum.  My PAL and I got to learn about how artworks have evolved from being very abstract and vibrant to a light and dark contrast. People were very interested in religious symbols back then and they painted a picture of Mother Mary wearing mostly blue, which back in the day the blue hue used was the most expensive out of all the hues, symbolizing that she was very important and rich.  As we move along to different eras, the type of paintings moved away from being religious to being about nature and having a darker contrast. The frames containing the portraits also changed to being very simple instead of elegant and detailed. The last spot of our tour show paintings that are not even on a canvas anymore but artists have moved to painting on walls with very simple color such as red, yellow, blue, and green.

 

Linh Tu, graduate student in Pharmacy

VMFA with my PAL

VMFA with my PALFor this PALETTE event, the PALs and students were given the opportunity to take a field trip to the VMFA. The Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts is one of the top ten art museums in the country, and a well know Richmond tourist spot. Despite the dreary weather, many showed for this event, and the participants were split into two groups, first timers, and those that had visited the museum before. My PAL, Mickey and I, went with the group that had been to the VMFA before. Our tour guide Douglas, who was an artist himself, took us on a tour of the arts from the Renaissances to modern times. As we began our tour with a Renaissances piece of the Virgin Mary ascending into the heavens, one of the participants posed the question, “Do you think art has improved over the centuries and why?” Douglas did not have an answer, but was clearly intrigued by the question, and told us to keep it in mind as we continued on our tour.

We did a brief run through of some prominent religious pieces, still lifes, impressionism, and ended with some 21st century symbolism. It was very interesting to see the art evolve and change throughout the centuries, yet still show signs of the same techniques of the classic pieces. It made me think of the continuity theory of aging. According to this theory, as we age we adapt to change by preserving a continuity of past social and psychosocial patterns (Atchley, 1989). This continuity can be both internal, (such as memory and temperament), or external, (hobbies, social groups, etc). Like older individuals, adapting to the ever changing world the art still showed signs of past patterns.

In the end, the group concluded that the older styles were much more in-depth and beautiful than modern day art. Personally, I think new-age art is just as beautiful because it blends old techniques, with new ones, creating something intriguing and meaningful. Just like the intergenerational experience of this course.

 

Ashley Holliday, graduate student in Gerontology

Personal Items and Personal Stories

Personal Items and Personal StoriesToday, my PAL and I engaged in painting inspired by touch and memory. We were asked to bring in a personal item to share with our partners and serve as inspiration for our paintings. I brought in a small ceramic frog sculpture that helps remind me to be patient and thoughtful, while my PAL brought in a beautiful wooden elephant bookend, a souvenir from her travels in Africa. It was amazing how we both knew exactly what the other brought in just from touching and just as amazing that each object evoked in the other strong and emotional experiences in our lives.

My PAL’s elephant reminded me of an anecdote my old supervisor told me about communication: even though we all may be touching an elephant, unless we communicate we may think we’re all touching something different. That translated into some visual and evocative expressions of color, lines, and contrast in my painting: light blue reminded me of my supervisor, blocks of bold color the represent books and learning, while chaotic and random lines with contrasted colors represented the communication and interpretation which occurs every day. My PAL, inspired by my frog, was reminded of a time in her twenties when she was invited to go frog hunting with a shotgun! To go along with her elephant, my PAL shared stories of where the bookend came from, her time in Tanzania, and living amongst the villagers.

My abstraction and my PAL’s literal interpretation of our objects so how differently we can come to understand our own emotions and memories and how, even random objects can remind us of events long ago or important lessons we hold close to ourselves everyday. The personal items we brought it held a story and was sort of a bridge to connect to different aspects of our lives that we may perhaps missed an opportunity to share about.

 

Huy Ho, first year MSW student

Memories

MemoriesWe all have objects that evoke particular memories from past experiences in our lives. Today, we each brought an object that held a memory and we exchanged them with our PALs. Without looking at the other person’s object, we were instructed to paint a memory or a feeling that we thought of, based on our PALs object. This activity opened a lot of opportunies for conversation and bonding with our PALs. My PAL, Edith, brought a necklace that she got at her retirement party.  When I felt the necklace, my first thought was of my friends and family. Whenever I’ve gotten necklaces, they have been as gifts from loved ones. I painted a picture of a summer sunset at Stinson Beach, where I spent one of my last days in California before leaving for Virginia. The object I brought for Edith was a toy horse. The memory that it evoked for her was a time where she use to walk her dog and drive in the 2nd car she had ever owned. Overall, we had a great time sharing and bonding over our memories with the rest of the class. Our background experiences are what shaped the person we are today and oftentimes we get so caught up with our day to day lives that we forget about the little memories in our past that brought us joy. Today’s event allowed us to take some time to reminisce about the small moments in our past and share it with our new friends.

 

Janice Chan, first year Dentistry student

Sensory and Memory Art

Sensory and Memory ArtSometimes the most random objects can bring back the most special memories. I brought in a toy car that my grandparents had given me as a symbolic gift one year. Feeling this car without seeing it, reminded Edith of the second car that she owned: a pink Plymouth. Telling the story of her car put such a light in Edith’s eyes. She gushed about how special the car was to her and how much she loved it. We recognized our age specific cultural differences by describing our favorite cars. I told Edith how pink cars are a very rare sight now and how most people my age buy black and white cars. Edith shared that hot pink and light blue cars were very popular when she got her car.

Edith brought a Faberge egg necklace that was given to her at her retirement party. She said that she had retired two times prior, but kept returning to work. The necklace was dainty and simple. It reminded me of the future that lies ahead of me in the workforce. Although I did not view the necklace until after our paintings were complete, I used the chain and raised details of the necklace to inspire my artwork.  

 

Grace Prestiy, graduate student in Social Work