Tag: Van Gogh

This Canvas Upon Which We Paint.

I have a Van Gogh print hanging in the house; “The Starry Night” – one of my favorites. In the swirling depths of paint Van Gogh captures the unique experience of nature and that it inspires.

Does it follow form? Not at all – though, it is mesmerizing nonetheless. And painted completely from memory, a view from the artist’s asylum window.

Under the same circumstances, most would fall into a place of desperation and fear; their worlds limited by these factors of the unknown. Yet, here the master stood forming a view of the cosmos yet unexplored.

Each of us is an artist in our own right, with wild, swirling brushstrokes illuminating a once forsaken sky. And, yielding these glorious panels of interpretation -a blending of shadows and light.

“Thanks to the art,” Marcel Proust writes, “instead of seeing one world only, our own, we see that world multiply itself and we have at our disposal as many worlds as there are original artists.”

You are those many artists, my loves – and this world a canvas for all mediums.

In peace, my sweet friends ~ thank you for your patience during my convalescence.

Namaste ❤

In the Eyes of the Beholder.

There’s an art museum in the neighboring town where I lived.

The architecture was quite stunning; stone marble steps marked the entrance through the brass and iron framed door. On either side, roses dipped their weighted blooms before stone statues of ‘great men on horseback’ and heroes of the war.

We used to visit there every Sunday, just before the crowds settled in. Mom loved the Van Gogh exhibit best, captivated by the wild impassioned, brushstrokes and obvious castings of tradition. Though I never quite understood the draw.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Mom would smile before moving on.

Not everyone can appreciate the appeal of a Warhol, Bosch or Van Gogh – and, certainly the complexities of taste are far reaching. However, one thing has always perplexed – when it comes to Nature’s artworks each of us stands so blissfully in awe.

Through the Redwood’s towering pose, we find humility; in the heron’s swift ascension, we find grace. Every amplitude of brush stroke, each hint of color – all lending something miraculous to the beholder; the blessing of simplicity in a world fraught with trouble.

And we may lose ourselves within the throes of an uncertain storm. Or, perhaps we’ll find perfection reflected within the endlessness of cosmos.

“The secret is in action; here and now.” writes Nisargadatta Maharaj. And, in the end “it is your behavior that blinds you to yourself.”

In peace, dear friends…

Namaste ❤