Stories

4 Things Art Historian Francesca Fiorani Wants You to Know About Leonardo da Vinci

Reading an article about a famous computer-generated scene in the Hollywood film “The Matrix Reloaded,” University of Virginia art history professor Francesca Fiorani couldn’t stop thinking about Leonardo da Vinci. The article focused on a digitally created fight scene in the sci-fi film in which Keanu Reeves, as Neo, dodges a barrage of bullets. The artists and animators behind the 2003 film said the most difficult part of such scenes was realistically recreating the shadows on people’s faces in different, fast-changing positions. “That is the exact problem Leonardo da Vinci worked to solve, though of course, he worked with brushes and pigments instead of pixels,” Fiorani said.

Brighter Together: 4 More Opportunities to See UVA Architecture Glow

The University of Virginia Chapel glowed with dancing colors this weekend as a pop-up projection mapping show played on its exterior. This show was the first of five opportunities to see local artist Jeff Dobrow light up some of UVA’s most recognizable buildings. The shows offer students and community members a way to experience art with one another while being masked and physically distant. The energetic pop-up projections blend UVA’s prominent architecture with colorful lights and music. At a time of pandemic (and academic) stress, organizers hope the shows will lift the spirits of those watching or walking by.

A Holiday Concert for 2020, from the University Singers and Charlottesville Symphony

The University Singers and the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia have lifted their voices – virtually – for a season-brightening 2020 Family Holiday Concert, remarkable for its beauty and for the technical coordination needed to put on the production. President Jim Ryan shared the concert with the University community, along with his best wishes for the holiday season and gratitude for all of the work that students, faculty, and staff put in this semester. “Every year, the Family Holiday Concert touches our hearts and unites our community. This year is no exception,” Ryan said. “While the program, like many things in 2020, is a bit different, it is just as heartwarming as ever, and it showcases the remarkable talent and resilience of our students and our neighbors in the Charlottesville community.”

Time for a Steam: UVA Alumni Help Meticulously Restore Carrara Marble Capitals

The moment had come for Leigh Hassler to remove a painstakingly constructed steam chamber created to surround one of the ornate Carrara marble capitals that adorn UVA’s Pavilion VIII. During the building’s original construction, Thomas Jefferson ordered these capitals from Carrara, Italy – the same source as the recently replaced capitals that front the Rotunda. Hassler and her team were six hours into an intense paint-removal process. A palpable sense of anticipation hung in the air. As the team got down to business, briskly removing the chamber’s box around the capital, steam rose into a crisp, blue fall sky.

Ghostly Forests on Eastern Shore Have a Story to Tell

The term “ghost forests” might sound like something from a Halloween movie, but these ghosts actually exist along low-lying shores, where rising seas infiltrate coastal forests. Trees in areas along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico are dying due to the increasing salinity of the groundwater, and the landscape is slowly transitioning to salt-tolerant marshland. University of Virginia environmental scientists, who study this interaction between sea and land and how it affects broader ecosystems, are taking on a new project: they are collaborating with artists on the Eastern Shore to reveal the phenomenon of ghost forests, to showcase their eerie beauty and to raise awareness of our changing coastal environments.

Professor Rita Dove’s Playlist for the Apocalypse Nominated for a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Poetry

A New Home for the Arts at UVA: $50 Million Gift Sets Stage for Performing Arts Center

UVA President Jim Ryan announced at a Board of Visitors meeting a $50 million lead gift from Tessa Ader for the building of a performing arts center at the University.

Brighter Together: Beginning Friday, Pop-up Art Will Light Up Grounds

The Projection Mapping shows are part of a project called “Brighter Together,” presented by UVA Arts, the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts, and the Division of Student Affairs.

Virginia Commission for the Arts Announces $30,000 in Artist Fellowship Awards Including Two UVA Professors

The Virginia Commission for the Arts has named six Virginia poets to receive Poetry Fellowships in 2022. Fellowships are awarded annually to artists residing in Virginia in recognition of creative excellence. Among the awardees are UVA Professors Debra Nystrom and Kiki Petrosino, along with MFA program alumna and Virginia Tech Professor Erika Meitner.

The Dirt: A review of “The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse”

By UVA Commonwealth Professor of American Studies and History Grace Elizabeth Hale. This is a review of “The Dirty South” at the VMFA where it originated and hung until September 6, 2021. The show is now on view at the Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, through February 6, 2022, and images in this feature are courtesy of that museum. Later, it will travel to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, March 12–July 25, 2022; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, September 2022–February 2023. Please note that the installations will vary in each location.

On the shelf: New reads from alumni and faculty

From academic research to rollicking fiction, UVA alumni and faculty members have been churning out books on a variety of topics. Here’s a look at some of them.