The last public event I attended before hunkering down was a new French movie: Portrait of a Lady on Fire, written and directed by Celine Schiamma. It's informed my consumption of art at home over the last week. Because not only is this an 18th century love story between women, it is also a portrait of an artist -- and the movie's passion for arts at the center of our lives is inspiring.
It reminded me that the way I initially knew who I was in the world was, in fact, via these three creative forms: by drawing. By reading. By playing and listening to music. And it lit a fire in me to once again fill my days with art, coronavirus or no.
The film is built around the creation of a painting: i.e., seeing and being seen. One of the two lead characters, having recently departed a cloistered life, mourns the lack of music outside the monastery. We are then treated to an exploration of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" as well as some incredible vocal harmonic singing by a group of women around a bonfire. And finally, the film includes and uses as metaphor a vibrant discussion of Ovid's literary version of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Within this magical context, which I wish also for you, here's a few things I've enjoyed at home this past week: I've been listening to everything from the the complex musical stories of Vivaldi to those on Esperanza Spaulding's newest recording, 12 Little Spells. I've finished reading Tommy Orange's debut novel, There There, and moved on to Becoming Ms. Burton, hailed here by the NYTimes Nicholas Kristof. I'm trying to draw a little bit every day. And oh yeah: even though I'm a bit of an anglophobe, I've been watching the British Netflix series Sex Education -- and being glad I don't have to re-do those high school years.
How about you? Tell us what is working / not working in your household during COVID-19 social distancing.
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