Brought to Life: Painted Wood Sculpture from Europe, 1300–1700

Most of the sculptures in the exhibition represented sacred figures from Christianity. Their naturalistic appearance was central to their function as objects of prayer and devotion. Painted wood sculptures were originally part of a multisensory experience that the exhibition aimed to simulate for visitors. The gallery lights were dimmed to create a contemplative atmosphere. As worshippers would have touched, held or kissed such sculptures, visitors were invited to handle a painted 3D scan of the Saint Fiacre sculpture. Musical performances by the Smith College Chamber Singers inspired by the sculptures could be heard through a sound dome and QR codes in the gallery, as well as on the exhibition website.

Although little is known about their intended locations, these sculptures were once part of larger, more complex ensembles. The names of their creators and their original appearances also remain unknown. Like any organic material, painted wood sculptures age over time. Some parts of the sculptures are now missing or have been victims of wood-boring insects. The original painted and gilded layers have either worn off or, more commonly, the sculptures were entirely repainted one or more times in their history. This damage and loss led to an exploration of the important role that art conservation plays in their care, preservation and reception today.

Object conservator Valentine Talland treated four sculptures included in the exhibition. She cleaned each sculpture and assessed them for damage, loss and overpainting. Talland used ultraviolet (UV) light and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to reveal how these sculptures were constructed and decorated. Her examination was featured in an in-gallery video created by Annalise Edwards ’23J, available on the exhibition website. Talland further explained her work in a virtual program in conversation with Danielle Carrabino, and the two collaborated in a J-term course concerning the history and practice of painting on wood. To further explore the creation of the sculptures, the exhibition included a case with tools and materials. A public program featured art instructor and practicing artist Jeremiah Paterson, who demonstrated the historic technique of painting on wood and invited participants to try.

Brought to Life did not offer precise information about the sculptures’ original appearance, the names of their creators or the altarpieces to which they once belonged, because this information is not currently known. However, the exhibition provided greater visibility for these objects, which remain candidates for continued research, with the hope that these mysteries will someday be solved.

Abdessamad El Montassir: Artist-in-Residence 2023

The primary focus of El Montassir’s residency was research, printmaking and script writing in conjunction with his current project, Âabide l’kadia. This interdisciplinary project aims to shine a light on communities of enslaved people and Haratins (literally “second group of free people”) in North Africa. In the Sahara, and particularly in Mauritania, slavery remains widespread despite its official abolition, and talking about it is still prohibited. Groups of formerly enslaved people and Haratins called the Meddaha have created contemporary spaces of emancipation and protest. Âabide l’kadia plunges us into the poetry and music produced by these communities, as well as the plant and animal life that surrounds them. Very important to Sahrawi cultures, these natural elements can be the carriers of knowledge and create the spaces for both human and nonhuman beings to recover their rights, identities and stolen histories. Research for this project prompted visits to the Yale University Art Gallery and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, as well as a meeting with scholar Cynthia Becker at Boston University, where El Montassir viewed relevant objects from the western Sahara, Mauritania and Morocco.

SCMA facilitated a rich slate of public programs and curricular connections that included a screening and Q&A with STRIDE scholar Brooklyn Quallen ’25 and curator Emma Chubb (March 22); a keynote lecture for “Vegetal Forms: Knowing Time and Place Through Plans,” a seminar co-organized by Colin Hoag (anthropology) and Lily Carone (Botanic Garden) with the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute (April 7); a workshop with students in Anaiis Cisco’s advanced filmmaking class (March 24); and studio visits with senior studio art majors (March 23).

A publication about the residency, designed by Matt Austin, is forthcoming in 2024.

SCMA’s Artist-in-Residence program is made possible by the trust and support of Amy Shepherd Weinberg ’82, Robin Bracken Villa ’65, and the Contemporary Artist Project Fund.
 

top to bottom, left to right: Visitors view the Colonial Entanglements mobile cabinet. Photo by Derek Fowles Photography; Danielle Carrabino gives an Artful Afternoons: Curatorial Tour of the Brought to Life  exhibition in September 2022. Photo by Nina C. Peláez; Agano Machiko. Japanese, born 1953. Untitled (detail). 2004. Fishing line, stainless steel wire, kozo paper, and acrylic mirrors (added in 2022). Purchased. Photo by Stephen Petegorsky; Unknown German workshop.  St. Ursula and the Virgin Martyrs. 17th century. Limewood with paint and gilding. Gift of Frank A. Newlin in memory of his mother, Mrs. Isaac Chapman Bates; SCMA Chief Preparator Nik Asikis and Registration and Preparation Assistant Leah Hughes install the exhibition Brought to Life: Painted Wood Sculpture from Europe, 1300–1700. Photo by Kelly Holbert; Installation photograph of the exhibition Brought to Life: Painted Wood Sculpture from Europe, 1300–1700. Photo by Stephen Petegorsky; Still from Abdessamad El Montassir, Âabide l'kadia. Film © ADAGP / Abdessamad El Montassir; Abdessamad El Montassir, Al Amakine, 2020. Light box installation and sound piece. © ADAGP / Abdessamad El Montassi; Group photo (left to right) of Brooklyn Quallen ’25, 2023 SCMA artist-in-residence Abdessamad El Montassir and SCMA curator Emma Chubb. Photo by Khalif Neville