Be Still My Heart Curated By Pattie Chalmers

There is a hierarchy of the genres of painting from the most lauded—Historical Paintings, to the lowest in stature—the still-life. This ranking of subject matter originated in the 16th century and remained dominant until the 19th century. The curator’s early admiration for the meaning in objects and an inclination to cheer for the underdog cemented their emotional attachment to this genre of art.

The framing of objects to create expanded meaning has gained even more significance over the years of restricted travel during the covid pandemic; being separated from family and friends, but having objects as reminders of them, confirms the importance of things to act as conduits to memory and emotion.

Whatever the approach artists use to create works in this genre—from traditional oil painting and trompe l’oeil renderings to abstracted arrangements to photography—their compositions reflect the past; talk about class, culture, and identity; and present objects to allow for nuanced meanings, always allowing room for both ambiguity and clarity at once. There is a sense of longing in these works, a request to slow down, to be calm and wonder. Finding meaning in the stillness.