Tuesday 27 September 2011

What is an artist?

Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl that she used to be. But a great artist-a master-and that is what Auguste Rodin was-can look at an old woman, protray her exactly as she is…and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be…and more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo, or even you, see that this lovely young girl is still alive, not old and ugly at all, but simply prisoned inside her ruined body. He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart…no matter what the merciless hours have done to her. Look at her, Ben. Growing old doesn’t matter to you and me; we were never meant to be admired-but it does to them.
Robert A. Heinlein

I came accross this on tumblr just a minute ago and I fell in love with it. Because to me it says so much. I've always been interested in the stories of people and places. I am thrilled when old people want to tell their stories. And the really amazing thing is that they always want to tell them. They're always eager to give you a glimpse from their time, a glimpse of who and what they used to be, of who they are.

Wednesday 7 September 2011