The Rebellious Curator
Cypress Trees by Vincent Van Gogh, 1890
This was painted only months before he attempted suicide, and it is believed that the moon placed oddly in the upper right corner, foreshadowed his death. The two figures walking in the foreground seems to signify his constant longing for human companionship. On the subject of the Cypress trees, his brother Theo stated: "Cypresses were always occupying his thoughts and that he believed them to be beautiful of line and proportioned like an Egyptian obelisk."
Photo using an Insta360 One camera using forced perspective technique (Tiny Planet) after a snow in Maple Ridge.
Photo credit: Larry De Fehr
One of my fondest memories of my late mom happened only months before she passed away. She and I sometimes poked around thrift stores, and one day she found an old children's book written entirely in German. She said she knew the book well and that it had a humorous story about a boy who refused to cut his fingernails. When we got home, she couldn't wait to look at this little book with its foxing and crinkled pages. She began to read aloud in German, and because my German is poor, she attempted to translate for me. As she read aloud, she started to giggle at the story and could scarcely get the words out enough to translate even one word. Every attempt at sharing the humor of the story would be overtaken by fits of giggles that caused her eyes to water. Soon I was giggling too, and it was cathartic and joyful for both of us. Little did I know she would be leaving in only a few short months. Today, the little book sits in my bookcase along with my art books and is a comforting reminder of the shortness of life and how unexpected little things can bring so much joy.
Colour by Numbers painting kits were initially designed for children in the 1950's to help improve motor skills, increase confidence, and help with concentration. Later, Founder of the PBN concept, Max Klein and artist Dan Robbins, decided the kits could be marketed to adults. Dan Robbins proposed the first kit for the adult market to be rendered in the Cubist style of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. However, it was quickly discovered that the adult consumers of the product strongly disliked abstract imagery and preferred the realism of classical landscapes and domestic animals. When the change was made from abstract to realism, sales skyrocketed throughout the 60's and 70's. Today vintage Paint-by-Number paintings are collectible, and sometimes exhibited in galleries and museums as an example of Mid-century pop culture and beginnings of mindless conformity.
No particular reason for pairing this photo of a dollhouse with the quote, except that it might represent how we hide in our places of refuge. The quote is interesting, taken from one of my all-time favourite movies. Not sure if it's a favourite because of the philosophical thread woven throughout the movie, or because of the crush I had on the rocker front-man of the fictional band Stillwater.. but the movie reminds me of a well-composed abstract painting, and the quote is a reminder that most artists still want to be heard even though we love to hide.