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| Starry, Starry Night by Van Gogh |
I want to describe myself like a painting that I studied closely for a long, long time, like a word I finally understood - Rilke
I've
been looking at this painting since I was 16. Undoubtedly one of the
most well-known paintings in the world and perhaps even one of the
most reproduced, its magic is such that I (along with those who make
a pilgrimage to the MOMA just to see it and weep in its presence)
have never grown tired of it.
Why
I found Rilke's lines very powerful: imagine being able to paint
yourself with the same accuracy that you would a beloved object.
Imagine being able to look at yourself with all the cliched
portrayals, the flaws, the weariness brought about by time, and
transcend those imperfections to also see color, vividness, and
beauty. Now, imagine being able to look at yourself in this form:
unflinchingly accepting your cracks and fissures, with the full
awareness that you're
not just that. Imagine
knowing and unapologetically loving yourself
this way.
One
day, this is a power I shall fully own.
I love it when you said "Now, imagine being able to look at yourself in this form: unflinchingly accepting your cracks and fissures, with the full awareness that you're not just that. Imagine knowing and unapologetically loving yourself this way."
ReplyDeleteRaises a Sagittarian fist bump. Thanks, Ex-Art Student. Let us be staring at new paintings/ works of art very soon. ;)
ReplyDelete