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It’s a busy month for the From Left to Write book club! We had a few books to read before the holidays and since everyone’s lives were so hectic, a few of them got pushed into January. I read The Swan Thieves before Christmas, and enjoyed it enough (but boy, is it thick!) While I’m not here to write a review of the book, I’ll let you know that the story revolves around a gifted artist and another artist in the past that is such an inspiration for him, it becomes an obsession.
I am certainly not obsessed with any artists, but there’s definitely one artist I have felt very strongly about. I guess she would be my “patron artist”. For years I’ve felt a real connection with the life and art of Frida Kahlo. Of course she’s had a resurgence of popularity in the recent years with the movie that came out a while back. I can’t remember how I first became interested in her, it must have been shortly before the movie in Art 101 or something, but then I saw the movie, read some books & fell in love with her.
Her work is so dream-like, and yet earthy at the same time. I love that, the bright colors, and the unusual subject matter of her paintings. We have a framed print of one of Kahlo’s still lifes of fruit and even though it is just a scene of cut up fruits, it still manages to have a shocking quality to it.
A couple of years ago, right as I was pregnant with Rayna, a Kahlo exhibition opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I *really* wanted to go, and even random people I worked with that I had barely exchanged more than 5 words with, were coming up to me and telling me about it (I had a Frida poster hanging up in my cubicle, lol). But somehow I never made it to the exhibition before Rayna was born. Finally, just before it was about to close I started feeling really desperate to get to the museum and see the show. After all, when would I see so many of her works in one place…how could I pass up an opportunity to see Frida in my hometown?!
I don’t know why we couldn’t get a babysitter, maybe I was just too scared to leave my couple month old baby with anyone, but I practically had to physically force Marc to bring me to the exhibit & we had Rayna with us. The museum would not let us bring a stroller inside, so we had to put cranky, colicky little Rayna in a bjorn-type carrier. When we went there were all sorts of stuffy types in the place, really, like old couples in fancy clothes and suits giving this frazzled new mom, her tortured looking husband and even more tortured looking (and sounding) newborn evil eyes, but I just had to be there.
Of course, I was thrilled with it, and with my hormones fluctuating wildly I may have even teared up a bit. I remember as I stood in front of “The Two Fridas” I was so overwhelmed to see it so close in person; I hadn’t realized how large it was in comparison to most of her other paintings. I couldn’t believe that you could really just reach out and touch these things, it was almost disconcerting. (In The Swan Thieves the main character, Robert Oliver, gets committed after trying to attack a painting. It’s scary just how easy that would be…yikes!)
So, while I don’t really know why Frida speaks to me so much, other than the fun fact that we both have the same birthday, I just feel really moved and inspired by both her life and her paintings. I would love to know if anyone else feels that way about a particular artist, so if you do let me know who it is!
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book for review purposes. I was not paid or obligated to write this post, all opinions are my own.
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Yes! Visual arts are not my thing. I have not skills or talents in the visual arts. But I totally understand the connection to a particular artist. I felt that way for years about Barbra Streisand. Her singing gives me a thrill every time I hear it and inspires me to listen obsessively to every single note she sings.
Thanks for a great post.
Bay Reply:
January 12th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Thanks Brenda! It was funny you picked a musician, I was wondering when I wrote that question if someone would pick a musician that they connected to on that same level. I have no creative talents *whatsoever* but Frida still inspires me
I love art museums. One of my favorite artists is Wayne Thiebaud. His work is fun and playful, but somehow has a dark side to it. I was disappointed to miss a recent show of his, but have seen many paintings in the past and I’m always drawn to him.
Jen´s last blog ..The Sketches on the Wall
Bay Reply:
January 12th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Just googled him, and yeah his work is very interesting! Funny how some artists can paint a picture of food and it really evoke something else entirely. Thanks for stopping by!
I also love Frida and was lucky enough to visit her home/museum in Mexico City (definitely worth a visit) some years ago. I also went to the exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of art WITH my baby (in an Ergo). Maybe we passed each other! I was moved by the depiction of her miscarriage. Having suffered three before the birth of my daughter, it was particularly poignant to stand there with my baby (at last), and to have some sense of what she was experiencing when she made it.
I also love Frida and was lucky enough to visit her home/museum in Mexico City (definitely worth a visit) some years ago. I also went to the exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of art WITH my baby (in an Ergo). Maybe we passed each other! I was moved by the depiction of her miscarriage. Having suffered three before the birth of my daughter, it was particularly poignant to stand there with my baby (at last), and to have some sense of what she was experiencing when she painted it.