I'm reading a riveting biography of the painter Agnes Martin, and it brings up for me the manipulation of silence by artists. I don't think this was true for Martin, as she had a shyness and mental illness seemed to cause her disappearances. But some artists can and do manipulate their public by not giving interviews or refusing to respond to demands for public access. Some of this is rightful fear of being hurt or ridiculed. There are writers like J.D. Salinger who was a recluse and, intentional or not, became a legend. And recently, Harper Lee's just published novel, "Go Set a Watchman" has people arguing over whether her silence for many years and lack of writing was because she chose it, or suffered severe writer's block. The book itself, to my mind, after having read it, should have never been published. It shows a young writer just struggling with her skills and ferociously in need of an editor. One bows who the editor of "To Kill a Mockingbird", as it is vastly superior to this novel which preceded it. I think Lee's silence was wise, but she has been manipulated into revealing an amateurish attempt.
Silence and mystique are often yoked together. Silence cannot really be interpreted. Did Martin have something to say by her silence? Was it part of a Buddhist practice, deliberate, or was it a disordered mind retreating into chaos and then healing? We'll never know, because her writings are contradictory, as are reports from her friends and colleagues. It's private and personal, and perhaps ultimately by Martin herself, unanswerable. There are and always will be more questions than answers in this life.
No comments:
Post a Comment