Love in Art
I just read an article in the gaurdian and it inspired me. I felt at first a bit corny for writing about this because it felt a bit too exposing. Then I came across this quote "Because there is a fear of sentimentality, love is not very often addressed – and it is really the one motivation in all of our lives." (Helene Aylon) So I am sucking it up and discussing. How does love affect an artist's work? When I read the article above what appealed to me was the inspiration and love that they found in their partners. It was almost as if they were so captivated that they could not but help take a photograph/grab their craft to document their love. In theatre, I have worked with a number of playwrights that their pieces were about their first loves or loves lost. It is extremely enlightening as the director to hear their actual experience and decipher how that has influenced the piece. It amazes me how we are shaped by those we love and those that love us. Most television, film, theatre, books are centered on finding love or familial love. What is love? I found the above article in my search of a definition of love. They had interviewed an array of people from the physicist who says “love is chemistry,” to the psychotherapist “love has many guises,” as well as the philosopher “love is a passionate commitment,” romantic novelist “love drives all great stories,” and the nun “love is free yet binds us”. I know there are many different views but at heart I think people need each other. It is a beautiful and scary thing to lose control of your heart. To give and care for someone ahead of yourself. I am so grateful for the support system I have in my family, close friends, and boyfriend. As much as I love theatre and being immersed in it I also have realized the importance of being grounded in my faith and family. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” (Lao Tzu)
Photo by Lee Friedlander, “Oregon” (1997). Lee Friedlander has photographed his wife, Maria Friedlander, for over fifty years; he took his first photograph of her in 1959. Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco.
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