Is there a painting or sculpture you’re drawn to? What does it say to you? Describe the experience. (Or, if art doesn’t speak to you, tell us why.)
Immediately I thought of Monet’s paintings. Especially the ones of the gardens and the water lilies. I have always loved the colors and temperament imbued within the painting. Calm, restful, insightful. I could imagine myself sitting by this pond and loving every minute of the quiet outdoors. The reflections in the water. The colors of the lily. Pink, white, purple. One of my favorite things to do as a child when we would go to the lake was go to one area where the water was still and shallow and the water lilies would bloom. I only picked one once and decided not to do it again as it never was as beautiful as when it was sitting on top of the water surrounded by other Lilies and the small frogs that would swim around them and sit on their broad leaves. It’s flower reflected on the surface. When I look at the painting above it brings me back to that time and it brings happy feelings and memories. His work has always resonated with me that way.
Once I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is an experience I will never forget and I have always wished to go back. The works of art were amazing and the impression they made have never left me. There was one work of art that was so huge, especially to a young child of 8. I wondered how the artist could have painted it in his life time. But, the best paintings were the ones by Monet. I could have sat on the bench and stared at them all day. That such works of art exist and the ability of people to create such beautiful things has always been a redeeming factor for the human race in my eyes. For as long as humans can create such beauty on canvas or in stone, clay or brick walls there is hope for us.
Because I can... 