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April's
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I have said for a long time that art is the servant of Nature,
that Nature is the teacher, the poet, and the well from which
art draws its life. When I look at the stem of a leaf, its central
vein, and its small veins branching out, I can feel the center
of my own spine and my arms reaching out, as the veins of the
leaf reach out to the sides of itself. I feel its center, and
I feel its life. When I look at Nature, I always respond to its
pulse of life.
Recently, I was reading the book "Drawing on the Right Side
of the Brain." More than anything, the quotes of different
artists within the book called out to me—ringing like Sunday
church bells—they were clear, even across centuries. One
of my favorites was of Auguste Rodin, the French sculptor. As
a young girl of 14, I developed a passion for the work of Auguste
Rodin. After reading his biography, I spent a summer sculpting
clay figures on our back porch. I had pigtails and bare feet,
but I felt seriously artistic and inspired by his life.
I collected clay from a field behind our home, and I worked my
hands through it and wished there was someone to teach me the
confidence of Rodin. I felt his passion, his relationship with
earth, and his urge to copy the human body in "The Thinker,"
"The Lovers," and in his other profound works.
Reading Rodin's words in "Drawing on the Right Side of Brain"
made me see how closely our thoughts coincided. The conversation
that Rodin had with Nature surprised me too—it was much the
same as mine! He wrote, "The Artist is the confidant of Nature.
Flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending
of stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms.
Every flower has a cordial word which Nature directs towards him."
I was amazed when I read these words. I felt I could have spoken
them or written them myself. I like to link the thoughts between
generations and centuries—one artist calling to another.
This time, the call is the recognition of nature as the essence
of art.
"and in the center
of the leaf, I feel my
spine growing, growing,
and in the veins of the leaf
I feel my arms stretching,
stretching,
I feel the yearn of it,
I feel the yearn.
I feel all of nature calling,
calling."
Burlington, Vermont
April |
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