Art and Writing
One of the beautiful things about writing as an art is that inspiration can come from many places. It can come from a conversation, the world around us, and perhaps unsurprisingly, from other works of art.
Since I started writing, I’ve noticed that my writing instinct tends to jump into action when I hear a particularly moving piece of music, or I’ll imagine writing the narration as I watch people proceed through even mundane tasks. It also kicks in when I see certain works of visual art. I want to share a couple of those pieces with you, today.
I have the privilege of being able to visit the Allentown Art Museum quite frequently. Not only has it recently implemented a free admission policy, but it’s open four days a week and serves as one of the major attractions of my hometown. And some of the art on display in those galleries really stoke my creative fires.
I was thinking about what I was going to write for my blog as I explored the museum. In the Kress Gallery, which houses the Renaissance European art that served as the founding collection of the Allentown Art Museum, I wandered across Still Life with Fruit by Cornelis de Heem.
At first glance, it just appears to be an exceptionally well-painted still-life of some fruit sitting on a plate. Still-life paintings are a go-to for artists looking to practice or show off their skills at painting fine details and textures. Many, many painters have done a still life at some point or another, with several even using them as a means to train their eyes and hone their techniques.
Which begs the question, what’s special about this particular piece? Well, if you’re particularly keen of eye you may have noticed this painting has a few photobombers (painting bombers?)
I don’t know how much detail will show up in the quick snapshot I took of the painting. You may have to find a way to zoom in, or even look up a higher resolution image elsewhere on the internet. But if you look closely, you’ll notice the fruit in the picture is covered in a variety of insects!
In fact, every time I see this piece I feel as though I see some new bug or detail I hadn’t noticed before. This is something I want to emulate in my writing. Not only do I want my readers to enjoy the book with the first read, but should they go back for seconds, I want them to find little details, hints, and even jokes I’ve sprinkled throughout the story.
Since The Case of the Cheap Suit Plot takes place in a fictional 1938 Chicago, I’ve tried to throw in details that are historically accurate, such as if it rained or snowed on that day, or what a newspaper headline may have read. I don’t expect all my readers to care about the fine details like that, but I want to reward the ones that do, whenever possible. There are major alternate-history elements to it since technology in Chloe Stewart’s world is slightly more advanced than it was in reality at that time, but I like the idea of Chloe’s world being somewhere parallel to our own.
The second painting I want to share is called View of Piazza San Marco, Venice by Canaletto. It’s a beautiful painting of the named location, and considering it was done sometime in the early 1740’s I personally find it to be quite a stunning piece.
I’ve noticed that if you stand a short distance away, the painting looks photorealistic, which to me, is quite a testament to Canaletto’s mastery of his medium. But what’s more, is that I can easily imagine writing a story with a scene set in the middle of the painting.
“He stood with his back to the afternoon sun, letting its light warm his back as the breeze coming off the water was chill enough to make him pull his cloak tighter around him. People milled about the plaza in droves, many in fine robes and capes in colors and textures he rarely saw in his poor fishing village.
They perused the nearby market stalls dappled with mouth-watering delicacies fresh from the boats in port. Children pointed out whimsically elaborate toys to their parents, and people marveled at the latest engineering creations or argued over the value of exquisite art displays.
He gave his purse a quick shake, listening to the few coins rattle in their pouch. If he was lucky, he’d find a bed and a meal for the night with his meager earnings. But that would have to wait. His eyes turned once more to the palace of Doge, the colossal structure gleaming white and tan before him, as though daring the sun to breach its mighty walls.
He’d come this far, but looking at it now, it was as though his feet were frozen to the sun-warmed stone walkways. The people running the courts inside would not suffer his hesitation and would be gone for the evening if he delayed any longer. Tugging his wind-beaten cloak closed around him, he forced himself to begin walking, and within moments, found himself staring at the gaping doors of the palace entrance.”
Needless to say, this is all made up from looking at the painting. I have no idea how historically accurate anything I wrote is, and I’d have to do considerably more research on it. But the point was just to show that it could spark a story. Any number of tales could be born of this single painting, if one just has an imagination and a desire to tell a story.
I can’t say how many times I’ve heard people tell me, “I want to write, but I don’t know what I’d write about.” I can’t tell you what to write about, friends, but I can tell you that the stories are there, scattered in the world around you. You just need to find your spark. For me, art is my spark. For you, it may be something else. But it’s there, and I know if you try, you’ll find it.
