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

December 31, 2016

Dear donors,

Thanks so much for your generosity.  In 2016 we were able to remunerate 2 museum educators who prepared written commentaries for 12 series of visits. Each visit included four works of art. The art works came from the Louvre, the Guimet museum, and finally from the Orsay museum.

Your generosity also supported the participation in museum visits of beneficiaries, persons with Alzheimer’s disease.

Respectful of the methodology developed by the association, these visits and commentaries will be made available on an online application named Art Accessible to All.

Below you will find an example of our approach to the discovery of a work of art:

Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889)
Death of Francesca de Rimini and Paolo Malesta   1870

This painting is like a play, it offers an apparent tranquility while a drama has just occurred. The couple, whose heads are close together, seem to be asleep. This sleep is suspect. Their bodies are strangely positioned, their complexion is abnormally pale. It is their postures that reveal the tragedy they suffered. The right arm of the young woman hides a deep wound that bleeds and stains her dress. The young man has his fingers clenched on his bloody chest. Concealed in the shadow and behind a curtain the murderer watches his victims closely. Are they dead? No doubt, they lie, stiffened in the suffering of their wounds. The painter opposed the eternal sleep of the two lovers to the anguished and solitary presence of the murderer.

The Middle Ages were a source of inspiration for artists in the nineteenth century. The Divine Comedy of Dante is the work of reference. All the passions are represented in this work, that of love is incarnated by the history of Paolo and Francesca. Love, jealousy, hatred have led to the final scene we are watching. The story behind the painting is that the young Francesca marries against her will a man older than her. Moreover, he is ugly and jealous. His brother Paolo is the complete opposite. The couple in the painting fall in love with each other. One day, when they thought they were alone, they embraced, but the husband came out of his hiding-place, surprised them and killed them. This is a recurring theme on the unfortunate loves that are repeatedly found in literary works.

This short sequence from one of our commentaries gives you a taste of our work.  We receive many positive comments after the visits; this is one example:

"My wife was very interested and perhaps more relaxed when she returned from visits."

The ARTZ, Cultural Action for Alzheimer team