Time for another entry in Friday Fictioneers challenge, courtesy of Rochelle Wissof-Fields. If you want to give it a try, check the info on her blog. 100 words more or less, inspired by a photo, here we go….
Copyright – Marie Gail Stratford
Giverny, the 24th of September, 1923.
It is hard, this solitude of body and mind. I lost everything I held close to my heart…lovers… friends…but this blindness hits the hardest.
I feel the colors dancing on my face, I see them in my mind…the water and reflections. These landscapes have become an obsession for me, but I fear I am worn out by my age and fretfulness. My years have become a cruel and unforgiving companion and I can’t wish for a sooner departure.
And still…there is this desire to caress the canvas… to relinquish what I feel.
Claude Monet
Snow's Fissures and Fractures 
Dear Loré,
I love the way you zeroed in on the colors. Monet is one of my favorite painters. Now I find myself wanting to know more. Nicely done.
shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you, Rochelle. I simply adore Monet, but he was a troubled soul, like so many artists.
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I love the idea of him feeling the colours dancing on his face. What an awful thing for him, of all people, to lose.
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And still, he painted. Just like Beethoven composed despite his loss of hearing. Some things just can’t be contained. Thank you, Claire.
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Such an intense take on the prompt. Beautifully done.
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Thank you, Sandra.
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To touch the canvas.. to live in the memory of colors.. very nicely focused on the right detail of the picture.. I like this a lot (and just by adding a place and a date you put it into context).
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I am very happy you liked it, thank you.
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Lore, Lovely but tragic story. Wat a feat, to be able to paint even when he was losing his sight. Beautiful music. Well written. 🙂 —Susan
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Thank you, Susan. That is a true measurement of our inner drive, to fight impossible.
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nice take on the prompt beautifully written
The Sunshine
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Thank you!
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“a cruel and unforgiving companion ” Love this line and then to continue with “there is this desire to caress the canvas” showing such fortitude and will. Nicely done.
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Thank you so much. It is very satisfying when words come out right.
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You made me feel his pain, although undoubtedly a lesser pain than an artist would feel. The “desire to caress the canvas” is so evocative. I wonder whether “relinquish” is quite the right word in “to relinquish what I feel.” It seems that a word indicating sharing or showing rather than giving up might make more sense. Does that seem right?
janet
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Thank you for your lovely comment and for sticking with me week after week. As for the “relinquish” – I picked that word because I wanted to express his want to surrender the emotions that are boilling inside. Because he feels so much pain and despair, his only release comes through his work. I don’t know if I am making any sense, sometimes it gets too obvious that English is not my first language. But thank you for your suggestion, I really appreciate it.
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I had no idea English wasn’t your first language, so I’m amazed at your writing. Although “relinquish” does mean to give up, it seemed that coming after the line about “caressing the canvas”, it was that he wanted to continue painting rather than give up emotions or get relief through his work. Because of the approach of the end of his life that you described so well in your story, “relinquish” made me feel he was giving up, as at the end of his life. Hope that makes sense. 🙂 It doesn’t diminish your story as is, though.
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Monet is one of my favorites as well. You’ve painted a lovely story.
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Thank you, Dawn. I am but a speck of dust in a world of giants. His perseverance is truly inspiring.
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Like poetry.
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That is such a great compliment, thank you so much.
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Excellent piece. I hadn’t realised he had been going blind and that this affected his later work (I had a peek at Wiki). Interesting.
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When we observe the masterpieces of past times, I don’t think we are fully aware of everyday struggles their creators suffered. Sometimes we forget they were human. At least I do. Thank you for your kind words.
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I love that you zoned in on the aspect of the colors and tied them to a canvas and to Monet. I have caressed the canvas as you so eloquently wrote. Sometimes that is the only way to relive or capture the feeling. Love this!
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I find your comment very rewarding, to know that my words touched you and that you recognised your own experience in this story…Thank you for that.
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Dear Lore,
This sad imagining of Monet’s thoughts and feelings is powerful and filled with lessons (light) for us all. To have your sight taken from you after years of being a prodigious and masterful painter must have been heart wrenching and you conveyed this emotion and others with deft stores of your pen. This perfect story from a beautiful but cryptic prompt is one of my favorites of yours. You are an artist, too.
Aloha,
Doug
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Doug, you left me speachless. Thank you so much for this comment, if ever comes a time I doubt myself, I’ll read it as a reminder that not all things in life are bad.
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Beautifully painted. To lose the most precious and the last line was brilliant. Loved it. I can only wonder how tough it must be.
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I don’t know if I would be strong enough to continue to work, that’s what distinguishes masters from apprentices. Thank you for your kind words.
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I love Monet paintings but I know very little about his life, I should read more about him. Thanks for the lovely story!
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Thank you, Elizabeth. His was a very fascinating life, full of troubles and hardship.
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You capture the tragedy without pathos. He wants both: to end his pain but also to go on. How human that is. Skilfully told. Love the way you talk about the colours.
Marg
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Thank you so much, Marg. I try very hard not to overdo things, especially when I am writing an emotional piece.
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I can feel his pain as age robs him of his sight, and then the last line filled with that desire to “caress the canvas” – lovely.
I was inspired to check out the Wiki page – I had no idea they could remove cataracts so long ago and it was interesting to read that his later paintings had a reddish tint due to the cataract removal.
I saw in a comment that English is not your first language – I really had no idea.
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As I said before, too often we dismiss the fact that even the greatest artists had normal human problems. I saw an interesting BBC series called The Impressionists few years ago, learned a lot about Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne and Manet, I highly recommend it.
Thank you for your kind words. It is true, I learned English in elementary and high school and unfortunately don’t have enough opportunity to use it, so this blog is of multiple use for me.
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So very poignant. I love Monet’s work too. Don’t we all dread losing the sense which gives our souls the most fulfilment?
I think this could be my favourite story this week.
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Thank you, that is a great compliment. I am glad you enjoyed the story.
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I didn’t know that he was almost blind — just found out that he almost went blind and that his style changed as a result of it.
A heart-rending story, full of loss and longing, full of pain.
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Thank you, I am glad my story inspired many of you to find more about his life.
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Beautiful. I’ve been very myopic most of my life. Now after cataract surgery, I can see better than I have ever, without glasses! So I feel your words very vividly.
Lily
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Thank you for your kind words, it means a lot to know I managed to capture the right feel.
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Wonderfully done, you brought out the soul of an artist in this one.
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Thank you so much!
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Beautifully done…Monet is one of fav artists and interestingly you add the video with Audrey Tatou…I watched Beautiful Lies on the weekend:)
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Thank you! I found it fitting to add that music.
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Poignant and brilliant, Loré!
Shades of John Milton and his poem On His Blindness. I remember that poem from high school. although it’s been years. Monet — a brilliant painter, of course! You captured his essence beautifully!
Oh, and thanks for the music! It’s wonderful! I’m always a sucker for music (I was formally trained and my mom taught it in the schools).
Wow! Poetic story, good music, you really outdid yourself this week. This was a TREAT! Bravissimo!
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Thank you, thank you!!! I like to add music to my stories, it’s like some form of extension, every piece of music represent my current mood.
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Your description of a blind man’s feelings was very true to life.
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Somehow I overlooked your comment. My apologies, I am very careful to reply to everyone. Thank you for your comment, I hoped to express the feelings I could only imagine.
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Outstanding! Five stars. quite a portrait of despair, beautifully painted with words. My hat’s off to you.
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Thank you, Sir! What a compliment, so many kind words.
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Wow this is genuinely beautiful and brilliant – it might’ve been torn from his journal, it reads so flawlessly.
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This is a huge compliment, thank you for your kind words.
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