Meet me at the museum...The unifying effect of art

Dear donor,

Thank you so much for your generosity! We are very touched that you have chosen to sponsor our cause.

In this report, you'll find three caregiver testimonials that illustrate the importance of our work for people with Alzheimer's disease and their loved ones. We also share an example of a commentary on a work of art that enables persons living with Alzheimer's to stimulate their memory and exchange with others.

“I think this program is a great way of meeting people and opening up exchanges. The speaker's very judicious, precise and targeted questions, as well as her kindness and attention, enabled my husband to express his emotions and arouse his interest”.

"These presentations of paintings are stimulating, because as I've gone along, I've registered what you can grasp by looking at an unfamiliar painting: the light, who's in the right light, the attitude, the characters, etc. The language of painting seems less hermetic to me, and with a little knowledge (which I lack) you can make a whole story out of it, a bit like reading a novel: you have the author's vision and interpretation".

“Not only does it make the art more readable, but it also teaches you to better apprehend the paintings. It was different for me to look at these works with your method than to remain on a general impression as I used to do in exhibitions or museums. “I found the method playful. It's a bit like an investigation: you look for clues, the character traits of the characters, you study the colors...”.

Below you will find an example of our approach to the discovery of a work of art. This content is available on our online tour application:

This is a commentary on a famous work by Leonardo da Vinci entitled “the virgin and child with Saint Anne painted between 1503 and 1519 :

Can you describe this work in a few words?

Text to help you: Describe Saint Anne, her daughter, the Virgin Mary, the baby Jesus and the lamb. Notice the gestures, clothing and attitudes. Describe the landscape around them.

The Virgin Mary is dressed in a red dress and a large blue veil that covers her knees and shoulder. She is reaching out to baby Jesus, whom she is about to hold or who has just escaped from her arms. He is almost a year old and seems to be holding a lamb tightly. His left leg is wrapped around the animal's neck. Mary is sitting on her mother's lap, Saint Anne. The latter, very calm, is watching the scene, which she contemplates with a slight smile. Behind them, a unusual landscape stretches out. We notice dry land with a tree in the background on the right, and a vast, mountainous, distant terrain plunged in a blue mist.

Leonardo da Vinci painted attitudes, expressions and spontaneous movements in this work. The scene thus appears alive. What do you think of it?

Notice the slight smile on Saint Anne and the attitude of Mary. We almost feel she is leaning towards Jesus before our eyes unless he escapes from her arms. Note the liveliness of the baby Jesus' gestures.

The lamb represents the passion of Christ and the terrible fate of Jesus. However, this family scene does not seem tragic. Jesus is playing with the lamb, and the two women seem united in a calm attitude in the face of fate. Leonardo da Vinci tries to capture the moment when the Virgin Mary stops holding Jesus and accepts her son's fate. Saint Anne smiles and watches serenely at the sight of her daughter and her acceptance of the child's fate. The liveliness of this family scene and the characters' spontaneity and naturalness are more evident when we compare the work to a different classical representation of the three characters, painted by Masaccio and Masolino da Panicale in 1424.

The placement of the 3 characters has been carefully studied and prepared. It evokes the trinity and the bonds of filiation. How do you see it ?

How can we see it? Observe the composition that evokes a triangle and the family lineage. Look at the gestures, signs of affection and tenderness that unite them.

This work is the result of a multitude of preparatory studies and sketches. Leonardo da Vinci worked at length on its composition. In a sketch kept at the National Gallery in London, he proposed a composition with St. John the Baptist in which St. Anne and Mary are placed sides by side. Finally, he opted for a more vertical display of the figures. In this work, they are placed in a triangular shape, which evokes the trinity and the bond of filiation between Saint Anne, who overlooks the scene of Mary seated on her knees, and the baby Jesus on the ground. In this composition, the characters are mainly linked. We notice a continuity in their gestures. The left arm of Saint Anne merges with that of Mary. Similarly, Mary's left arm is extended by that of the child Jesus. The affection visibly unites the members of this family.

This extract gives you an insight into our method of cognitive stimulation for people with Alzheimer's disease.

If you wish, we would be pleased to invite you to take part in oneline visits planned throughout the year. You can join us in these groups if you have a loved one with Alzheimer's disease.

Warmly

Cindy Barotte

Links:

• To discover our association

Dear donor,

Thank you so much for your generosity! We are very touched that you have chosen to sponsor our cause.

In this report, you'll find three caregiver testimonials that illustrate the importance of our work for people with Alzheimer's disease and their loved ones. We also share an example of a commentary on a work of art that enables persons living with Alzheimer's to stimulate their memory and exchange with others.

 “A courageous, innovative and humane initiative that brings light to a gloomy daily life.”

“My husband told me he was happy during those moments, and indeed in the evening he didn’t wander around like he usually does.”

“The program helped me understand that the illness is not an obstacle to cultural activities. Of course, cognitive functions are impaired, but sensitivity and emotion are still present, and it’s important to keep stimulating them through painting, music, dance… It made me want to do similar activities with my husband.”

“Usually very distant and apathetic, struggling to find his words, I noticed that after the first few sessions, my husband started to express himself more and to follow the explanations more attentively.”

“I really enjoyed doing this activity as a couple, and seeing him enjoy it too gives us a chance to communicate when we go back over the booklet together.”

“For me, it was also very positive: the facilitator led the sessions in such a way that I left feeling calm and relaxed.”

Below you will find an example of our approach to the discovery of a work of art. This content is available on our online tour application:

This is a commentary on a famous work by Edouard Manet entitled Olympia painted in 1863 :

Can you describe this picture in a few words ?

Text to help you: Notice a naked woman with very fair skin lying on a bed. Notice how she stares at the viewer. Observe her accessories. Notice a black woman at her side carrying a bouquet of flowers. Note the presence of a surprised black cat. Linger over the backdrop.

In front of us, a naked, pale-skinned woman lies on a bed with immaculate sheets. Her body is supported by two pillows, highlighting her bust and direct gaze. Her upturned hair is adorned with a delicate flower.

Her accessories accentuate her refinement: a thin black ribbon around her neck, golden earrings, a bracelet and a beige shoe slipping off her foot. Her right hand rests on her lower abdomen in a gesture of controlled modesty. At her feet, a black cat seems surprised by our presence.

To the right, a black woman brings a carefully wrapped bouquet. The background creates an unsettling, theatrical scene.

The Salon exhibition of Olympia in 1865 has been called the scandal of the century. Why do you think Olympia was such a big scandal?

Why does the expression on the young woman's face deeply shock the public? Suggest that Manet is denouncing bourgeois hypocrisy, a reality that everyone knows but pretends to ignore.

Although "The Luncheon on the Grass" shocked, “Olympia” provoked an even more violent scandal. In "The Luncheon on the Grass", the nude woman has a neutral gaze, while “Olympia” stares confidently at the viewer, refusing to be a mere object of contemplation.

In this work, nudity has an explicit and disturbing function: Olympia is a courtesan waiting for a client. The bouquet brought by the maid is a typical gift for courtesans. The black cat reinforces this connotation. The harsh light and lack of modeling project the figure towards the viewer. When exhibited, the painting aroused such indignation that some people wanted to tear it up.

Beyond the scandal, Manet heralded the beginning of modern art with this work. How do we see it ?

Notice how Manet breaks away from traditional modeling and subtle gradations. Note the abrupt contrasts and sharp light. Suggest that his vision is bold and radical. In what way does this work reveal a new aesthetic ?

The artwork is built on a striking contrast between dazzling white and deep black, structuring the entire composition. Olympia’s matte white body violently stands out against the dark background, without gradual shading or academic modeling. It is rendered in bold, luminous flat tones, without concession to traditional illusions. The white sheets emphasize this sharp outline, while the dark masses of the black servant and the black cat anchor the scene and heighten Olympia’s presence.

Manet rejects sfumato and soft shadow effects. The sharp, incisive contours do not dissolve into the background but emerge distinctly. Through his bold juxtapositions of stark tones and a free brushstroke, he establishes a new aesthetic: painting no longer seeks to deceive the eye but asserts its materiality. With Olympia, Manet paves the way for the avant-garde and shifts painting into modernity.

This extract gives you an insight into our method of cognitive stimulation for people with Alzheimer's disease.

If you wish, we would be pleased to invite you to take part in oneline visits planned throughout the year. You can join us in these groups if you have a loved one with Alzheimer's disease.

Warmly

Cindy Barotte