Divorced. Unemployed. Reflections on an exhibition by an artist who started painting from scratch in her mid-30s.
The gentle black color
made me want to cry for some reason.
Divorced at 31, separated from her husband and two children,
she moved to Tokyo with only a few belongings.
She found a job as a restaurant staff member by chance.
That was where she started drawing pictures for the menu, which led her to develop her design skills...
I went to see the
exhibition of Megumi Yamaguchi, who started painting in her mid-30s and continued until she passed away from illness at 49.
A cat with blue eyes.
Fairytale-like, pale colors.
Cute.
But that's not all.
For some reason, it seeps into the gaps in my heart and makes me want to cry.
I try to think about where that feeling comes from.
The medium seems to be crayon. There are traces of many colors layered and scraped away.
Megumi started using crayons
because she lost strength in her hands due to an autoimmune disease and a lung condition.
This reportedly led to a change in her style toward something softer.
Furthermore, as her illness progressed and her body became unable to move, the unnecessary tension vanished...
I sometimes encounter the fear of decaying.
Like the flowers, the path their lives take
just by being as they are
is beautiful.
May the day come soon when I can praise that
as my own.
Her paintings from her later years, around 2015, are truly beautiful.
Sometimes, illness can bring a painting to completion....
When I open the window, the eastern sky is glowing with the morning sun, just for a short time before the sun rises completely.
The room is filled with orange.
I love the task of making the bed in that full orange light.
There is an episode I found interesting.
This is the story of Megumi, who had been repeatedly hospitalized, moving into a spacious, sun-drenched room.
Because of that,
she was able to arrange the knick-knacks, old furniture, and picture books she had been collecting for a long time, decorate with flowers every day, dress neatly, and find a new rhythm for her life.
And, more enthusiastically than ever, she continued to draw. It was a space where she could immerse herself in what she loved, which she had finally been able to obtain.
Hearing this story, I deeply felt that a room with a sunny window is so important. It has such an impact on the heart...! I'll keep that in mind!
Finally, here is
Megumi Yamaguchi's X (formerly Twitter).
Her last updated post.
ありがと、みんな
— やまぐちめぐみ (@kokorimasyo) August 30, 2015
When starting something,
people will list as many
'reasons why they can't' as they can,
saying things like 'that's why not yet' or 'it's impossible,'
not just to others,
but also to themselves.
But I try to list the reasons why I can,
first to myself.
The time spent writing this article after seeing the exhibition is
so incredibly happy.
いいなと思ったら応援しよう！
みんなのフォトギャラリー1万枚いつかいけたらいいなぁ。いただいたサポートは一息つくときのお金にしたいと思います。サポートが活動のモチベーションになります。ありがとうございます(^^)