Grandparents Always Have Something To Offer

I took a visit to see my grandparents today. As I walked into the apartment I suddenly noticed all the sculptures on display that my grandfather had made so many years ago. And, seeing how senior exploration was on my mind (as it always is, of course), I decided I'd take a closer look at them. Most were abstract pieces that I couldn't really get my head around, or the typical ones of the human body, but there were several that caught my eye. 

Before I asked my grandfather what his inspiration for this specific sculpture was, I wanted to look at it with a more critical eye than I had in the past. I didn't realize how sad it really was. A naked woman crying on the floor. It didn't really strike me as depressing or disturbing, but simply as sad. I related to this piece the same way I might relate to a tragic novel I read, imagining a fictional character going through something painful. Truth be told, because I had the artist of the piece in the same room with me, I was too curious to analyze further. I just wanted to know what the piece was all about. 

My grandfather told me that at the time he was into his sculpture-making, he knew someone who was going through an incredibly painful divorce. He thought of this woman and how she might be coming out of the shower, only to fall onto the floor into a puddle of tears. How she would lie there, crying to herself, thinking of all the effort she had put into her marriage and how her husband had barely even tried. At that point, the sculpture went from evoking a feeling of sadness to a feeling of pure commiseration. 

Now, this isn't to say that my grandfather had intended for the viewers of the sculpture to understand everything about this woman. Quite honestly, I think he would much prefer someone complimenting him on his technique. Still, understanding the story behind the piece does give it another layer, and it does give the message of the piece more profundity. But whether or not I needed to know the intent of my grandfather, or if my simpler interpretation of the piece can be deemed "right," or if simply appreciating the piece as a work of art is acceptable I have yet to answer.