ArtistDonna Coleman
The Home
Date1998
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions25 × 33 in. (63.5 × 83.8 cm)
Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection
Object numberDCCAH2000.123
ClassificationsPaintings
Locations
- Currently Not on View
DescriptionThe Home is about a collection of particular experiences and observations the artist had over the course of five years visiting her grandfather, who was one of the few male residents in a large group of women. The loss, the sorrow, the confusion, the humor, the poignancy, the joy, the camaraderie, the fun, the love, the ongoing health concerns of the residents created an atmosphere of utter honesty and openness. The party girl as a teenager was a party girl to the end, racing out of her room naked into the living room every chance she got. The chain smoker still smoked, endlessly. The group of women chatting together every day were not deterred by the fact that, due to dementia, not one single word they spoke made any logical sense syntactically - but made all the emotional sense in the world. Couples, the few there were, were still couples. This painting is homage to these very aged people, and their deep and abiding humanity.
