Look Alive! A Still Life Comparison

Slow looking is a practice of slowly and carefully studying a work of art. Such close observation can reveal insights into an artwork’s origins, materials and formal characteristics. It can also be a tool for self-discovery by engaging the senses and calming the mind, helping us to connect more deeply with a work of art.

Look Alive! brings together two still-life paintings from the Museum’s collections in a comparative installation designed to engage curiosity and hone observation skills. By looking closely at Jacques Linard’s Still Life: The Five Senses with Flowers and Tom Wesselmann’s Still Life #2, visitors gain appreciation for each artist’s working methods and explore themes of domesticity, consumerism and beauty. Learning Guides offer questions that compare the qualities of each painting. Afterward, visitors can reflect on their experiences through interactive and creative activities.