Here is another letter to you. It begins with another picture, this time a painting. This painting is one that you might recognize, because it is one of the artists on the outside of the art room door.
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| Self Portrait with Monkey, 1938 |
Do you recognize her? It's Frida Kahlo. I like to see her on the way into the art room each morning, because she reminds me to be strong, and that we are all really stronger than we might think we are. She had lots of pets, including two pet spider monkeys. Do you have any pets? Maybe you have one at home with you right now. Have you every drawn yourself with them? Perhaps this is the day to try.
Frida loved to paint herself with animals. When she was young she wanted to go to medical school. She worked hard as a student. When she was 18 she got in an accident, and lots of her bones were broken, so she had to go spend time in bed. Just like Matisse, who I wrote to you about yesterday. When she was in bed, she decided to take up art again, which she had enjoyed when she was younger. She was eventually able to walk again, but she spent many months in bed, waiting. Do you ever find it hard to wait?
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| This is Frida, painting in her bed. |
In the earliest self-portrait of hers that I could find after her accident, I notice that she looks very strong. She did not feel very strong in her body, but she had a very strong mind, and believed that things would get better. In this painting below, she stares at us just as we look at her. She exaggerated things about herself to look even stronger, like unifying her eyebrows and making her hands large.
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| Self-Portrait, 1926 |
In the first self-portrait I showed you, Frida is with one of her pets. She loved animals and the outdoors, and even after her body got better it was still hard for her to travel far, so she imagined it through her artwork. She looks strong, she's in the jungle, and she has her pet monkey.
If you could be anywhere right now, and surround yourself with anything you wanted to make yourself feel more sure and more powerful, what would that look like?
Here is what you would need:
Pencil, crayon, or markers (Any will do. Color can be fun, too, so use whatever you have.)
Paper (Sometimes I doodle on whatever I can find. The blank back of something in your recycling or fresh paper work equally well.)
The basics:
Draw a picture of yourself. Surround yourself with pets, objects, creatures, and places you love. Add whatever makes your heart feel the strongest, most confident, and happiest that it can be today.
More ideas to try:
Think about activities that you love. We all live near a big lake here in Burlington. Do you love to be near the water? Maybe you love the bike path, and might draw yourself zooming down it on your favorite set of wheels- a bike? A scooter? A skateboard? Where would you rather be today?
Sometimes people don't get to go where they want to. Right now, that is happening all over the world, because people are trying to mostly stay in their homes to stay healthy. One person who has often felt stuck is the artist Ai Weiwei.
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| With Wind, 2014 |
The artist Ai Weiwei was stuck in his country and was not allowed to travel from 2011-2015. When he had an art show in another country, he often didn't get to go see it, which made him sad. He was glad others got to see it, so he kept making art anyway. He made this dragon above, and lots of sculptures out of LEGO, for an art show at the no-longer-in-use Alcatraz Prison.
Here is some information about Ai Weiwei. He is a contemporary artist, and is 62 years old. He was born in China, but now he lives in Cambridge, England. He studied animation in college. Last November, one of his artworks sold for over $2.5 million. He is very famous in his own lifetime and has won lots of prizes and medals for his artwork.
I am looking forward to seeing what you draw today!
Love,
Mrs. Elliott
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