Day 1
Hello, fellow book lovers!
Today is the first day of reading The Muralist by B. A. Shapiro. It’s a thriller that's related to art. I’m not really an artsy person, but at the same time, I am kind of interested in the combination of suspense and art. I think this book will give me a different kind of experience, so I’m looking forward to it.
The story is about a painter who vanishes. Her great-niece is looking for answers to the questions about her. That sounds really interesting, basically a detective story connected to fine art.
It’s written by B.A. Shapiro, an award-winning author of the bestseller The Art Forger. She is a sociology teacher at Tufts University and a creative writing teacher at Northeastern University. She lives in Boston with her family.
So, this is art plus a detective story. I love detective stories, and this is my first time reading one related to art. I also like the cover of the book, which has vibrant colors like orange, red, yellow, blue, and green, along with brushes and paint.
I can’t wait to read this. And as I go along, if I find interesting passages or events, I’ll share them here on my blog as part of my reading journey. Come join me, comment, and let’s have this journey together.
Day 2
What is one thing that you appreciate about reading books?
For me, it's learning about new things. It gives me a sense of happiness rooted in curiosity.
For Day 2, The Muralist introduced me to a kind of art that I heard of for the first time -- Abstract Expressionism. It was born in New York City in the late 1940s and became popular after World War II. Abstract Expressionism is described as art with spontaneous gestures, emotional expression, gestural abstraction, and usually large-scale painting. The prominent Abstract Expressionists are Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko.
I think of abstract art as something that is baffling to understand. But when I saw Pollock's The Blue Pole, painted in 1952, I felt an emotional response within me. There is chaos and order, parts and wholes, movement and stillness. Something in the painting feels so familiar -- perhaps the duality of life. I was surprised by how I reacted to this particular painting.
What is your view of Abstract Expressionism? You are welcome to share your thoughts in the comments.
Day 18
It's Day 18, and I am still on page 117 of the book. I was introduced to Alizee, who shows us what a good life is, lived with passion, courage, and love for family.
Passion. There is a moment when the author describes Alizée painting, gestures flying, colors bursting, emotions pouring out. When you are in that flow, when your whole being is connected, great things are created.
Courage. Alizée was brave enough to share her work with Eleanor Roosevelt at a time when Abstract Expressionism was not popular. She didn’t stop herself from introducing the new art to the world. She was also brave enough to leave France for the United States, stepping into a new country, away from her family.
Love. Even with distance, she never abandoned her family. She wrote letters to them, worked to bring them out of Europe, and thought of them constantly as war closed in.
Indeed, everything boils down to love, love for your calling, love for your work, love for your family. That is how we should live.
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