Have you ever thought you would be reunited with an item you lost years ago after giving up and thinking it was gone forever? Well, that idea of reunifying never crossed senior Anton Saucedo’s dad until after over 30 years, his past was hanging on a wall in Center of the Arts Atrium.
“Over the summer, I would always sit at the table where the painting was hung up,” Saucedo said. “I would admire the layers and perspective of the painting, which made me enjoy it.”
Without any prior knowledge of his father’s lost painting, he found out the exciting news and story at his senior recital.
Years ago, Saucedo’s father made this painting as an undergrad at UW-Whitewater. His father thought he had left it at his childhood home and when the house was sold he thought he had lost a piece of his past. It was a favorite of his father, so it was really heartwarming to have him connect with a past piece that reflected his time as a college student.
“I felt proud knowing a piece of my family history was on the very campus my dad was at,” Saucedo said. “It showed a piece of the past between my parents, so it was very cool to see it show up.”
The bond between the father and son has always been close, but with the help of this painting, they became even closer. A cool aspect of the painting was how the canvas seemed to be made out of scratch, from the hand-stretched canvas to the sturdy framework.
“I had a realization that the subject in the painting was my father and it made me see how there are two portraits of him, the main portrait and one that is hidden within the main,” Saucedo said.
This heartwarming moment didn’t only affect the father and son, but the Crossman Gallery Director, Ashley Dimmig, as this is a once-in-a-lifetime scenario.
“I got a voicemail one day of a woman explaining excitedly about seeing a painting of her husband when she went to see her son’s senior recital,” Dimmig said. “It was a very touching story that tickled me about both a love story and a connection between son and father.”
This occurrence happened because of a project Dimmig had begun to incorporate more art into the Center of the Arts building, which is a hefty and ongoing project. She had pulled paintings from various spaces, from paintings behind a desk to pick up and drop offs that included only the collection of art through the Crossman Gallery Collection.
“This story goes to show how an occurrence like this can happen with the pieces being played accordingly,” Dimmig said. “Art is about connecting and the gallery hopes that the collection will be accessible both physically and digitally.”
This story has made Dimmig’s day, as prior to learning about it, she was swamped with emails and meetings. This goes to show how art can create stories, reunions and impacts that can make days for many people, along with a connection with a past self as the memories hold under the layers.
