"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
― Thomas Merton , No Man Is an Island.
Summer, so far, has been, to say the least, quite weird and unusual. Extreme temperatures have kept us confined in airconditioned inside spaces for most of the day when we are not spending time poolside or at the beach. So, I am lucky to live where the ocean is just minutes away and a light breeze tempers even the hottest times.
With the political climate on hot coals, it occurred to me that I needed a female artist to become this month's protagonist. I mean … as it stands, we are on the losing side of history right now. So, at first, I thought of showcasing Frida Kahlo's work.
Then I stumbled upon the biography of Zelda Fitzgerald (née Sayre on July 24, 1900), an American socialite, novelist, and painter. Wife of American novelist Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, This Side of Paradise, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button…)
Mother of Frances Scott Fitzgerald (, who would also become a writer (and an active member of the Democratic Party – I thought I'd throw this in there …12). She was a glamorous, ambitious, and fun-loving woman who demonstrated a certain independent streak when she refused to be her husband's shadow. Creating artistic outlets of her own, she wrote stories for magazines, painted, and restarted practicing ballet, which had been her hobby while growing up.
As a painter, she was very talented, which made her husband feel threatened, and he constantly tried to pull her down. She loved life and lived her life with such fearless and excessive behavior that some labeled her crazy.
Throughout her life, she struggled with mental health issues as a diagnosed schizophrenic. She spent multiple times in a psychiatric institution. To this day, she continues to fascinate and inspire feminists for resisting the bonds her husband tried to impose on her and charting her own course and career in the 1920s.
She died on March 10, 1948, in Asheville, North Carolina, at 47.
On another note, I contracted COVID while vaccinated, boostered, wearing a mask where necessary, and socially distancing as much as possible. At first, I did not have any symptoms …and then it hit me. Full force. When I called the doctor to report that I was positive for COVID, she put me on Paxlovid, the FDA emergency authorization antiviral medication for mild and moderate cases.
So, even with this mild or moderate case of COVID, I promise you, it felt like my personal trip to hell. Imagine getting this thing without the necessary vaccines and boosters …. 7 days later, I feel better, but still feel that lingering exhaustion.
Get vaccinated, people! And boostered. Mask up when there are other people around you. You do protect not only yourself but also others. Trust me, you do not want to get this thing.
If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you:
I am here to live out loud."
--Émile Zola—
Life has not been easy for many as divisions between people are wreaking havoc. Families are divided over political ideologies. Some political ideologies are spewing untruths, fabricating alternate realities, and inciting hate. This, my friends, is the new reality.
That's it for this time, peoples of the page. Enjoy your summer. Stay cool and hydrated. Be healthy. Be kind. And most of all, stay safe. Until next time. Namaste.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zelda-Fitzgerald
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anti-intellectualism
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/art
Artistic Expression Quotes Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/artistic-expressioote from the author: ALL IMAGES shown in this column are courtesy of NLew/Reflectionsandstuff. All artwork of NLew is ©NLew. All other images belong to the respective artists and/or the galleries/museums that own them and are used here under the creative commons license for instructional purposes/non-commercial use without modifications of which the sole purpose is the sharing of art only. (In this case Wikimedia Art)Please note that if you want to copy/use any material/photo from this website you may need the permission of the owner/s. Please respect this and do not misuse them. Again, respect Artists' copyrights, please. Never forget to mention the source. As always, I am thankful for your patronage.
