One day, it--like me--will have to leave Cuernavaca (Mexico) behind and move to Curaçao.
We'll have to build it a special wall, though.
Quiet Laughter. Musings and stories on blurred cultural boundaries.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
A brief intro to my life in #Mexico
Visitors to this blog might wonder why Derain's "Bathers" get place of honor on the header of this blog. What do three nude women have to do with Quiet Laughter? For those familiar with fauvism, the connection might seem even more bizarre--or, maybe, not.
Neither the nude women, or fauvism--or even Derain--is the connection. This is a photo of the living room in the house where I grew up in. I just took it today. That painting--a copy, obviously--has been hanging in that spot for as long as I can remember--and we moved into this house when I was three. That painting--not even the original, but the copy--symbolizes this house for me, and everything in it: the memories, the drama, the fun times, the losses, the safe haven, the letting go. That painting is, at a profoundly personal level, my history.
One day, it--like me--will have to leave Cuernavaca (Mexico) behind and move to Curaçao.
We'll have to build it a special wall, though.
One day, it--like me--will have to leave Cuernavaca (Mexico) behind and move to Curaçao.
We'll have to build it a special wall, though.
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Lovely :)
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much of 'self' can be wrapped up in the art we love.
Exactly! And how undefinable that 'self' is without the art :) Thanks for the visit, Ms. Monkey. Always a pleasure to find your name in the Comments list.
Delete...and always a pleasure to read your posts ;)
DeleteWhenever I travel, I collect a piece of art (a habit I picked up from my parents). One of my favourite pieces is... well, probably not considered 'art' by others... I got it in Belize. While waiting for a river ferry, there were some small kids selling plantain chips they were 'baking' right on the rocks, and small pieces of pottery they had made and painted with Mayan designs. I still have the small cup I bought from them, and every time I look at it, I can smell the hot, jungle air and taste those plantain chips :)
For me, art holds the best memories, moments where I found the world beautiful.
Yes! Art--and the unique definition *you* give it--is key to life. What sparks our creativity, what speaks to our soul, what touches a chord of our inner selves--that's what our lives need to be filled with.
DeleteHi Guilie .. how wonderful to read about your memories and the painting .. I'd wondered! And I didn't know anything about Derain ... and his links with Matisse - I've just missed his exhibition in London .. but yes you must take his painting with you to Curacao ... and I just checked out Cuernavaca in Wiki - it's always good to learn ...
ReplyDeleteI have paintings here that were in my bedroom in my childhood ... and other memories ... cheers Hilary
Thank you, Hilary! Ah, a Matisse exhibition--how I wish I had something like that close by :) Too bad you missed it. I don't know much about Derain either--the only painting of his I can identify is this one, haha. And I know he was with the Fauves, but that's about it. My father was an artist, though, and he was a fan :)
DeleteGlad you checked out Cuernavaca! I'll be posting a bit more about this city I grew up in the next few days--I don't think I ever have, and that's shameful, haha.
How lovely you've kept paintings from your childhood! I think the ones that hung in my bedroom back then have been lost--sad. It would be nice to have kept at least one.
Thankyou for sharing a glimpse of your history with us, Guilie.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank YOU for the visit, D :)
DeleteMemories mean so much, and it's awesome you have an items filled with so many.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gwen :)
Delete