Next up was Michaelangelo's Pieta in st. Peter's basilica, in Vatican City. The sculpture only one signed by Michaelangelo and represents a Christ in the lap of a woman whose age was depicted as much younger than would possible. This peaceful rendering glows. In 1972, Laszlo Toth damaged the sculpture before being dragged away. He was committed to an Italian psychiatric hospital on jan 29, 1973.

Jon asked us to consider the questions: should the statue be restored? Does restoring the sculpture change the authenticity of the statue?



The Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa copy, the PradoThe Mona Lisa has become the most reproduced image of artwork in history. The work's stature in increased when it was stolen in 1911. The painting has been restored throughout its life. In feb 2012, it was reported that the earliest copy ever known had been found in the vaults of the Prado museum. Museum official said it was almost certainly painted by one of da Vinci's apprentices alongside the master himself as he did the original. The copy has been part of the museum's collection for years but officials did not realize its significance until a recent restoration revealed hidden layers. This version is brighter, revealing details obscured by darkened varnish.  

If the apprentice painted this along side the master, that implies that the Mona Lisa may have looked this when it was first painted, that this might have been Da Vinci’s intention. Jon posed more questions: if this was the artist's original intention, would you want to see the Mona Lisa restored to its original state? (putting technical ability to restore it aside) if you feel it should be left as is, are you respecting the emotion around the current aesthetic of the ml at the expense of the Artist's original intent? What constitutes authenticity?

Another example was the famous incident of the de Kooning drawing Rauschenberg erased, in 1953. Young Rauschenberg went to de Kooning’s studio and asked for a drawing to erase.  After such a bold request, de Kooning searched for a drawing he really liked, to make it hard for Rauschenberg to do it. It took Rauschenberg months to erase the work. Click here to hear Rauschenberg discuss this . de Kooning had expected this to be a private matter between them, so he was angry when Rauschenberg made his erased drawing public. Ask yourself these questions: did Rauschenberg destroy a work or create one? Is the resulting work authentic? If you are like our lively group, the answers varied.

Jon challenged our expectations about what we expect from the art around us. There were no stock answers here. Each situation has to be questioned and considered on its own merit.

An quick peak into what 3 artists are working on right now and their source of inspiration

Manola Borrajo

I was looking for a new subject to paint. One morning last September after a storm in Tofino I found kelp on Long Beach. It was my first time seeing them. I imagine the kelp moving under the water and the light traveling, reaching the majestic and impressive sea forest.

I have been painting poppies for many years.  I am attracted to the simplicity of their beauty.
I feel the same about kelp.

I moved from Alberta last summer and the beauty of Vancouver started to appear immediately in my work.

Both series are part of my new direction.

Alice Philips

A cluster of existing lights.

....a detail

....and a view of the process. Wool and silk before it's felted.

Shelley Freedman

One of thing projects I am working on is a series* based on photos taken by the Hubble Space telescope.

A while ago, I got interested in documenting personal household objects from times past.
The hooks in this image represent bygone eras. Lots more to talk about here.

I love typography. The cat image and text come from the cover a metal cigarette tin I've used as a pin box for decades.

*Credit for Hubble Images: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Copyrights to all images is respected, even if not specificially credited.