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The Age of Creativity: Art, Memory, My Father, and Me
"The fundamental misunderstanding of our time is that we belong to one age group or another. We all grow old. There is no us and them. There was only ever an us." -- from Still Life
It has long been thought that artistic output always declines in old age. When Emily Urquhart and her family celebrated the eightieth birthday of her father, the illustrious painter Tony Urquhart, she found it remarkable that, although his pace had slowed, he was continuing his daily art practice of drawing, painting, and making large-scale sculptures, and was even innovating his style. Was he defying the odds, or was it possible that some assumptions about the elderly are flat-out wrong? After all, many well-known visual artists completed their best work in the last decade of their lives, Turner, Monet, and Cezanne among them. With the eye of a memoirist and the curiosity of a journalist, Urquhart began an investigation into late-stage creativity, asking: Is it possible that our best work is ahead of us? Is there an expiry date on creativity? Do we ever really know when we do anything for the last time?
Moving and effortlessly educational, Still Life is a graceful, intimate blend of research on ageing and creativity, including on progressive senior-led organizations, such as the home for elderly theatre performers in Toronto where residents control their space and creative lives and the gallery in New York City that only represents artists over sixty; stories of creative seniors from a variety of backgrounds; and her experiences living and travelling with her father. Emily Urquhart overturns long-held biases about aging, reveals how creative work, both amateur and professional, sustains people in their third act of their lives, and tells a new story about the possibilities of elder-hood.
It has long been thought that artistic output always declines in old age. When Emily Urquhart and her family celebrated the eightieth birthday of her father, the illustrious painter Tony Urquhart, she found it remarkable that, although his pace had slowed, he was continuing his daily art practice of drawing, painting, and making large-scale sculptures, and was even innovating his style. Was he defying the odds, or was it possible that some assumptions about the elderly are flat-out wrong? After all, many well-known visual artists completed their best work in the last decade of their lives, Turner, Monet, and Cezanne among them. With the eye of a memoirist and the curiosity of a journalist, Urquhart began an investigation into late-stage creativity, asking: Is it possible that our best work is ahead of us? Is there an expiry date on creativity? Do we ever really know when we do anything for the last time?
Moving and effortlessly educational, Still Life is a graceful, intimate blend of research on ageing and creativity, including on progressive senior-led organizations, such as the home for elderly theatre performers in Toronto where residents control their space and creative lives and the gallery in New York City that only represents artists over sixty; stories of creative seniors from a variety of backgrounds; and her experiences living and travelling with her father. Emily Urquhart overturns long-held biases about aging, reveals how creative work, both amateur and professional, sustains people in their third act of their lives, and tells a new story about the possibilities of elder-hood.
232 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 7, 2020
My grandmother took up painting in her ‘70s, as did Grandma Moses. It gave her a depth of artistic expression she’d not had before. She ended her dream of singing opera when her sister died in the 1918 Flu Epidemic, stepping in to care for three young nephews, later marrying her widowed brother-in-law and having three more sons. Thank goodness she found art after her spouse died and her boys left home.
I never saw her bemoan age or growing infirmity. Making art renewed her late life. That sparks hope for me, as does THE AGE OF CREATIVITY.
Our artistic well doesn’t have to dry up in old age, says author Emily Urquhart. We can flourish as creatives, even innovate more in later life. She explains why in this elegant memoir and fascinating research-backed exploration.
She noticed that when her father, a renown painter, turned 80, he still made art daily, with an enhanced creative style. Is this unusual, she asked? Could our best work be ahead? Could aging free us to be our most artistic selves? And what can communities do to promote more fruitful senior years? You’ll find her answers inspiring and her book a joy to read.
5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 01 Sep 2020
Thanks to the author, House of Anansi Press Inc., and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#AgeofCreativityThe #NetGalley
I never saw her bemoan age or growing infirmity. Making art renewed her late life. That sparks hope for me, as does THE AGE OF CREATIVITY.
Our artistic well doesn’t have to dry up in old age, says author Emily Urquhart. We can flourish as creatives, even innovate more in later life. She explains why in this elegant memoir and fascinating research-backed exploration.
She noticed that when her father, a renown painter, turned 80, he still made art daily, with an enhanced creative style. Is this unusual, she asked? Could our best work be ahead? Could aging free us to be our most artistic selves? And what can communities do to promote more fruitful senior years? You’ll find her answers inspiring and her book a joy to read.
5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 01 Sep 2020
Thanks to the author, House of Anansi Press Inc., and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#AgeofCreativityThe #NetGalley
December 20, 2020
The blurb on the front cover of this describes it as wise and thoughtful. This is an apt description for this personal study of art, aging and the mysteries of the mind. Really, the mysteries of life and the nature of our reality. In times when the disenfranchised elderly continue to be at best forgotten and at worst mistreated, this book reminds us that life does not end at the first sign of failing faculties. The spirit continues on, often bolstered by one's creative drive. It was particularly meaningful to me as I settle into my 8th decade on this planet and struggle with my own sense of self worth. Yet I believe it is an important thought provoking read for any age. Old lives matter and most of us end up there.
October 8, 2022
Emily Urquhart’s father, Tony, was slipping into the twilight of his life when she began writing this book. The elder Urquhart was a famous Canadian artist who continued painting even as Alzheimer’s claimed him. Emily researches other famous artists who remarkably retained their artistic abilities even as they were losing their memories. This book is a lovely look at their relationship through the lens of art.
February 3, 2021
This is a wonderful book, part memoir, part reflection on creativity, and part exploration of dementia and especially its impact on artists.
What I loved about it is her willingness to consider dementia, and indeed old age, as simply another part of life. I've read a lot of books about dementia, and many of them could be subtitled, "The tragedy of..." This one isn't that. It's much more open, much more curious, and much more interesting.
What I loved about it is her willingness to consider dementia, and indeed old age, as simply another part of life. I've read a lot of books about dementia, and many of them could be subtitled, "The tragedy of..." This one isn't that. It's much more open, much more curious, and much more interesting.
April 19, 2023
This book is a beautiful and thoughtful reflection on creativity through life's third act. Through Urquhart's own experiences with art and artists, she demonstrates how nuanced dementia is.
The gerontology major in me screamed "YES" every time she called to question society's ageist lens.
The artist in me *heart-eye-emoji'd* at the works of art referenced throughout.
The gerontology major in me screamed "YES" every time she called to question society's ageist lens.
The artist in me *heart-eye-emoji'd* at the works of art referenced throughout.
April 14, 2021
A daughter’s homage to her father, her admiration for not only his work but his work ethic, an art scholar’s thoughts on art, on the effects of changing memory on the artist and the art - well worth reading. Urquhart absorbed art, and perhaps the shape of a life from her father, Tony. As a reader I wish she might have absorbed a bit more about sentence structure from her mother, Jane. But, though ideas are sometimes entangled in syntax, there is much of value to be gleaned about ageing, about still having a reason to get up in the morning, about seeing both the losses and the gains that increasing age bestows. Urquhart speaks of many artists and creatives who, like her father, never consider retirement. Such people work on, always looking to the next idea, the next creation, always knowing they have more work to do. She speaks of the Japanese concept of ikigai, “the confluence of what you love, what the world needs, what can support you financially, and what you're good at”. This ethic of ikigai is conjectured, and in Japan some say proven, to have a strong connection to greater life expectancy and greater life satisfaction for those who truly perceive and practice it. In addition to Urquhart’s observations of her father, she touches on some recent scientific insights into how creativity continues as people age. All in all, much hope for the creatives - even some for the rest of us. I love the quote from Katha Pollitt’s poem, “Lilacs in September” --
What will unleash
itself in you
when your storm comes?
What will unleash
itself in you
when your storm comes?
October 12, 2020
"I wondered when and why our society had been conditioned to see creativity and aging as antagonistic."
•
Thoughts~
An intriguing and compassionate memoir, of a father, daughter and the prompting of why society needs to rethink preconceived notions on aging, it's just a number after all.
Urquhart articulately blends memoir with journalism to prove the significance of how aging doesn't have to end ones artistic side. Possibly age offers a new sense of artistic self. Drawing on art history, her own memories and her father, an avid painter who continued his work into his eighties, was just as creative and dedicated as his younger self if not more so. With so much stigma surrounding ageism in our society today I appreciated all Urquhart's research here and need to offer a different perspective. Aging doesnt have to hold anyone back from expressing themselves creatively and seniors should have all the opportunities to do so if they want.
Beautifully done! This book was particularly meaningful to me.
As someone who was fortunate to be close with my grandparents, particularly my late grandfather who lived to 101, I will always admire how even into his late nineties he was just as driven to his chosen craft of woodworking. He was always working on something and planning his next project. I truly believe it helped him thrive so long.
Thank You to @houseofanansi for sending me this book opinions are my own.
•
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
•
Thoughts~
An intriguing and compassionate memoir, of a father, daughter and the prompting of why society needs to rethink preconceived notions on aging, it's just a number after all.
Urquhart articulately blends memoir with journalism to prove the significance of how aging doesn't have to end ones artistic side. Possibly age offers a new sense of artistic self. Drawing on art history, her own memories and her father, an avid painter who continued his work into his eighties, was just as creative and dedicated as his younger self if not more so. With so much stigma surrounding ageism in our society today I appreciated all Urquhart's research here and need to offer a different perspective. Aging doesnt have to hold anyone back from expressing themselves creatively and seniors should have all the opportunities to do so if they want.
Beautifully done! This book was particularly meaningful to me.
As someone who was fortunate to be close with my grandparents, particularly my late grandfather who lived to 101, I will always admire how even into his late nineties he was just as driven to his chosen craft of woodworking. He was always working on something and planning his next project. I truly believe it helped him thrive so long.
Thank You to @houseofanansi for sending me this book opinions are my own.
•
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
December 8, 2020
Well written research on art and aging. This memoir mostly focused on her and her father, his dementia and the various forms it can manifest itself in. How it comes and goes, clear and muddled...
Interesting commentary on various modern art and how aging can actually release a different and sometimes richer creativity. I found the memoir to be tinged with melancholy - as it should be when you are witnessing your loved one descending.
A strong case for encouraging aging artists to continue creating....that aging does not have to mean an end to creativity... and that continuing to create art can actually help a person with dementia to have purpose and meaning in their life despite this dreadful diagnosis.
Interesting commentary on various modern art and how aging can actually release a different and sometimes richer creativity. I found the memoir to be tinged with melancholy - as it should be when you are witnessing your loved one descending.
A strong case for encouraging aging artists to continue creating....that aging does not have to mean an end to creativity... and that continuing to create art can actually help a person with dementia to have purpose and meaning in their life despite this dreadful diagnosis.
September 18, 2022
This memoir was sometimes to close for comfort. It is about the daughter of an artist who is beginning to manage the effects of dementia. Her father is a talented and famous artist and Emily, the daughter, wants to understand creativity and how it links to dementia. Through her attempt to understand what lies in store for her own family, Emily takes a journalist intrigue into the subject.
I
Creativity is affected by cognition but it is never lost. The artist’s skill is as close to them as breathing and while there will be changes the loss will be less than other memory. Perhaps the message is that being productive, relevant, accessing certain parts of the brain may not stop or cure dementia but it will provide an avenue for success and purpose.
I
Creativity is affected by cognition but it is never lost. The artist’s skill is as close to them as breathing and while there will be changes the loss will be less than other memory. Perhaps the message is that being productive, relevant, accessing certain parts of the brain may not stop or cure dementia but it will provide an avenue for success and purpose.
July 4, 2023
A lovely book, one not only for those who love art and the understanding of abstract art in particular, but for those who are drawn to a delicate father/daughter exploration, as the parent travels into dementia and physical decline, while his productivity continues. Emily Urquhart is both an observer of her father’s situation, but also an admirer of her father’s work and inspiration. She is eloquent about the combined distancing and devotion that a child feels obliged either to undertake or balance with a real time functioning. The emotional toll of her decisions come through in her writing beautifully, without being sentimental or apologetic in any way. This book us a possible way forward to deal with both our parents aging and our own, embracing creativity as we find it.
November 22, 2020
A thought-provoking reflection of a daughter's love for her father and how memory and creativity can either improve or dwindle with age.
What makes this memoir extra special is that the author is the daughter of two famous parents (Canadian artist Tony Urquhart and Canadian writer Jane Urquhart)! Her insights are worth noting. Emily paints vivid images with her words "My first memory of my father is a shimmer, a painterly abstraction of form and light." (p. 5) and writes with an artist's eye for details "He ran his hand along the corners, which were buffeted in metal, and across the worn leather and remnants of paint on its sides." (p. 224).
A gifted storyteller!
What makes this memoir extra special is that the author is the daughter of two famous parents (Canadian artist Tony Urquhart and Canadian writer Jane Urquhart)! Her insights are worth noting. Emily paints vivid images with her words "My first memory of my father is a shimmer, a painterly abstraction of form and light." (p. 5) and writes with an artist's eye for details "He ran his hand along the corners, which were buffeted in metal, and across the worn leather and remnants of paint on its sides." (p. 224).
A gifted storyteller!
November 24, 2020
A beautiful story of creativity told through the eyes of the daughter of an illustrious painter. Even at 80 years old, he pursued his paintings and a daily life of art and taught her to do the same. It begins with her memories, and although I found them interesting I do admit there was a lot of story to digest within these pages. I love how she shows that creativity in any form is such an important way to keep our minds young. Interesting on reading about the paintings of her father and those she encountered.
Read
December 2, 2022I felt as if I was drawn (in both senses of the world) into a meticulously created & painted biography of aging and art, of Tony Urquhart & his daughter, of consciousness & creativity. Although written in horizontal lines of letters, I felt as if I were in a hologram of painting and sketches. She writes as if she and her father are living a series of visual moments, and an expectation that everyone knows the people in this art world, which I don't know at all. A poignant and vivid dream-like book.
September 25, 2022
My Dad retired from being a tech exec. He has taken up painting as his passion. It’s interesting to read about “How to support an aging artist” :) I really enjoyed this book and loved the art history and the studies of aging artists.
Just a really well done and pleasant memoir. Loved it. Good memoirs are so hard to find but when you find a good one you want it to last forever.
Just a really well done and pleasant memoir. Loved it. Good memoirs are so hard to find but when you find a good one you want it to last forever.
August 24, 2023
A must read for those with an interest in aging (what we do and why) and the lives of artists. I was so engaged that I dropped everything else I was reading. (Understandable given that I like to haunt galleries of great artists and enjoy the process of painting, even though the paintings are only for me.)
February 5, 2023
A beautiful exploration of art, creativity and ageing as the author describes her artist father's journey with warmth, love and keen observation. He continued his daily art practice even when his pace had slowed and is an inspiration to us all.
March 12, 2024
While ultimately a memoir, Urquhart’s book seems capable of serving as a reliable reference on aging and creativity as well. Whether regarding these two themes separately or at their intersection, it is a book worth revisiting for its insights and examples.
November 20, 2020
Very interesting insights on art and aging, combining research with personal memoir.
March 9, 2021
This is a wonderful book! A memoir and guide to being an artist at any age. Emily is a terrific writer and the book is immersive, moving and inspiring.
September 9, 2021
4.5 stars. This book was really fascinating and well-written. A nice blend of memoir and thoughts about art, gender, aging, and more.
November 25, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book. Art and aging, and the creative mind. Lots to think through.
April 9, 2023
I know I am in the minority here, but I really struggled with this book. I never wanted to get back to it while reading it. Wondering if maybe I was the problem?!🥴
August 5, 2023
A beautiful book about the fantastic artist Tony Urquhart.
May 21, 2024
This book has a particular writing style that will not appeal to everyone. The author shares vignettes related to the topics of art history, death, dementia, the act of creativity and her and her father's relationship, and tries to paint with words a photograph of experiences. For my mind this felt like a bunch of disparate stories that were only fleetingly interesting and lacked a stronger substance to draw them all together. The book would have been greatly augmented by including images to punctuate the author's several descriptions of artistic pieces she goes into depth about through the book. My book club helped me remember a few of the highlights that I did find interesting throughout the book however this was not enough for me to make me enjoy the book beyond a one star rating. Overall a disappointing read.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews