On Wednesday,Virginia gave us an interesting and enriching slide show when we left behind the current troubles of the world to immerse ourselves in Art.

Her theme ,”The creation and significance of intimate Space in Art a Journey from 1300 to present day”, led us from Giotto’s 1320 Nativity scenes featuring spaces offering shelter and safety for the babyJesus , through to real rooms containing installations by contemporary Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota .Virginia shed new light on familiar work by the likes of Andrew Wyeth, Van Gough, and Degas and introduced us to installations, sculpture by Diana al Hamid, and paintings by contemporary artists like Kerry James Marshall. What they all shared was their use of such intimate spaces in many forms telling a story ,conveying an idea, or creating an atmosphere.

Virginia drew our attention to Light airy spaces, dark eerie spaces, quiet, or noisy ones, safe spaces ,empty or populated, symbolic, nostalgic, or spiritual. We saw figures claiming space on a bench or a picnic blanket in public. Spaces were glimpsed through a door, or window ,or represented by a single chair or an empty bed ,as a personal space ,not yet claimed or just relinquished?

Food for thought, and much inspiration, another very enjoyable evening.