The harvest season has finished here in Japan.
This is my deceased mother's work of embroidery,cross-stitch, during her late life.
I remembered that she made the stitch one by one sitting hunched up over the cloth. Her figure like this overlapped in my mind with the women who are gleaning crouching their back onto the field.
根つめて描（か）かれしならむ 腰かがめ女の指は落ち穂を掴む
It must be a pain taking labour
and the depiction, too
The women bending down
to do "Gleaning"
just have clutched some of the wheat-ears
It must be a pain taking labour
and the depiction, too
The women bending down
to do "Gleaning"
just have clutched some of the wheat-ears
The design of the embroidery is from a famous picture, "Gleaning"by Jean-Francois Millet.(1814-1875)
Regarding to Millet, there is an unforgettable article for me that said about his works. It was like this: Millet chose labour as his subject for his drawing and people in the Salon des Beaux Arts at that moment(19C ) astonished and rejected his works with sense of avertion, because such subject had never chosen by painters up to that time.
That description made me get a jolt, as I had thought works by Millet were in the category of classic paintings.
While new point of views and ideas as well as some technical innovation are required for artists in every genre, some unprecedented ones tend to be alienated.
It seems that Millet's ones were not exceptional, and it took long time to be finally accepted by the people in Salon des Beaux Arts.
He depicted scrupulously, as it is well known, the daily lives of farmers, their struggling with cattle, taking care of children by wives, and so on. These pictures make viewers feel his exact and warm eyes.
(image from Wikipedia) The first experience for me to see some showpiece was the one by him,
"The Angelus", not a genuine one but a copy in retrospect.
Despite the picture was filled with tranquillity, I certainly heard the evening bell, beeing overwelmed and seeing it.
I was the fourth grade student of elementary school, and the picture was hanging on a wall of a corridor that led to a music room.
13 件のコメント:
Haricot,
You have fond memories of how your mother were doing cross-stitching, which has made my heart warm. My mother would do other needle working to make various things like cushions both for us and dolls like Rica-chan, table centers, tissue-papaer box covers, and so on, out of her old kimonos. She is now 90-year-old.
You mother left you a good work and good memory of hers.
My mother has been unable to walk for two years now and spends all day in bed or in wheelchair.
Getting older sometimes includes undesirable reality to accept for people and people around. Spending with her more often than ever makes me think about how I prepare for that.
Thank you, Stardust, for this kind comment.
We cannot decide the length of our lives, but still I think people can live longer when the circumstance is comfortable for the one. So, your mother's long life is a credit to her surrounding people, I think.
Please take care of your mother and yourself.
Than you for this thoughtful comment, Cosmos.
It is regrettable for me that I had not much time to take care of my mother because her getting weary so fast.
Instead, almost all my memories are of her usual days. There is positive things for everything.
Thinking about my future, I'll try to make my life style simpler.
Hello! Haricot.
Your mother’s work of embroidery, cross-stitch is very beautiful. She left you a good memory.
For women, the art of needlecraft is one that women’s desires for beauty can be poured during stitching one by one, into the needle, thread, and cloth. It is a precious time for women. I like to see women’s handmade arts though I am not good at that works so much.
My mother likes water painting very much. She is 88 years old and still produces her works, which makes me feel relieved. However I know she is gradually growing old….it is sad.
*Red rose*
Thank you, Redrose, for your nice comment.
It is great that your mother continuously produces her works of water painting!
I'm sure that you have been influenced by her such positive attitude.
I would like to be positive like your mother as far as I can.
Hi, Haricot.
I didn't know your many blog. You have good poetic sensibility.
Women's finger have done many things for their family or herself. Old woman's hand is great worth to see,I think. My hand and my mothers hand resemble a little. She is good at sewing.But I can't.
Thank you for the comment, Sarari.
Reading members' blogs on Shefi's Writing, I came to think how I could do it, and tried and did many trials and errors. To progress in English and for thinking, writing is very important, I found,though mine is slow as a snail.
I myself noticed that old women's hand are fine, too.
I have seen "The Angelus" in the museum for impressionist art in Paris about forty years ago. At that time, I felt the picture full of tranquility and peace. But now in your blog,I saw the "Gleaning" and read your comment about it, I had deeper emotion about "The Angelus". I was too young to think about hard labour of farmers at that time.
Your sense to overlap your mother and "Gleaning" is the poet's sensitivity!
I agree with you, I also I must make my life simpler.
The couple are offering prayer in their pious manners, after their long labour on their farm.
I did not notice the severity of their labour, either, until not long ago.
I saw some Millet's paintings at Boston Museum in Japan( Kanayama), not in Boston, several years ago.But I couldn't see Gleaning nor The Angelus.
I wish I could see the genuine ones.
to Snowwhite with thanks
Nara is the representative Japanese place.
The spectators in the world will welcome your photography.
I look forward to elegant Nara scenery.
Thank you.
ruma
I'll try to focus on scenery in my city, Nara. It will make my eyes open.
Thank you for visiting my blog, Ruma.
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