This week, the Lets Look participants discussed the art at Family Partners Adult Day Center. Although looking at reproductions is never as thrilling as viewing the art at the Pulitzer, we have found that sometimes it can be very helpful because we can touch the painting reproduction and trace the various elements of composition, as well as point out small details that are easier to spot if we can get close to the painting.The theme of this week was “Mary,” and we discussed three paintings in which she featured prominently. The first painting was The Marriage of the Virgin by Master of the Orcagnesque Misericordia. The Lets Look participants were enthralled by the beautiful colors of the painting and the stories that JoAnn told about the figures in the image. The next painting discussed was the Madonna and Child by Bartolomeo Vivarini. In addition to talking about the content of the painting, the participants had the opportunity to share about their own faith and religious beliefs.

The last painting discussed was Giaquinto’s Saint Helena and the Emperor Constantine Presented to the Holy Trinity by the Virgin Mary. In our classroom at Family Partners, we have a bird aviary with many finches that sits directly behind us while we talk. When we were discussing this work of art, Tom astutely noticed the parallel between the dove at the top of the painting and the birds directly behind. It had the effect of the sky continuing into a heaven of birds! Although the context of Family Partners is very different from the Pulitzer, the environment still interacts with the painting in unique and surprising ways!