As the members of the Today Page editorial board were putting together the editorial and visual elements of the article about “The Song of the Lark” saving Bill Murray’s life, the emotional quality of the content seemed to raise a special spirit that filled the space. Each of the team present began sharing which painting or poem or photograph had pulled them through a rough time in their life. We knew we had to share these “rescue art” stories with the community—but even more importantly, we want to know about your lifesaving experiences with art.
Would you mind sharing your personal story? There is, no doubt, someone online in our worldwide network whose life might be saved by the shared memory of a brother or sister in the arts community.
Bill Murray: Can A Painting Save A Life
“I saw this painting in the museum not long after I first arrived in Los Angeles to try to make my way toward a new life. This painting resonated with what I was feeling and experiencing like nothing else had since my first day in the city. Los Angeles is filled with people, but I knew no one, so my personal landscape was as barren as the countryside this poet walks in. I was all alone but for the memories of everyone I had ever known, of every place I had ever been and every thing I had ever done, all that had now brought me to where I found myself, gazing at myself reflected in this painting.
Like the subject of the painting walking in this field, I realized I was trying to hear my Muse in all of life that had come before. It was then, I knew, that once again what needed to be expressed would flow from within me as if it were automatic, as if the hand of the Muse had again alighted on mine to serve as its guide. Well, one could hope for such things.”
“The essential truth is that sometimes you’re worried that they’ll find out it’s a fluke, that you don't really have it. You’ve lost the muse or—the worst dread—you never had it at all. I went through all that madness early on.”
– Robin Williams
“I was about 8 years old when I saw this painting for the first time. My young brain hadn’t at that time defined what “epic” truly meant. Even though my mother was Roman Catholic and my father Church of England we weren’t a religious family so on seeing ‘The Great Day of His Wrath’ for the first time, I saw it purely as a natural disaster bring about the end of the world. The idea of a single entity or intelligent being able to create destruction on such a large scale was incomprehensible to such a young mind. I had guilt issues after squashing bugs so the thought of anyone being able to bring the lives of millions of people to an end was completely beyond me.
This is a painting that I visit in the Tate gallery, in London, at least once every two or three years. I always sit about eight feet away from it for ten minutes or more before walking closer to admire the detail. I’ve always thought of John Martin as Jack Kirby of the 19th Century. The imagination behind this had to be driven by some inner demon. It was many years later that I found out this was his response to the Industrial Revolution and his fears that it would destroy the world.”
I was in High School and coming to admire Napoleon Bonaparte (a little too much). One day I was arguing on his behalf as the bold modernizer who brought democracy, of a sort, to the rest of backward Europe, albeit on the points of bayonets. But as Stalin said, ‘You have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet.’ My cavalier attitude about Stalin’s, not to mention Bonaparte’s, atrocities was noted by one of my teachers. She scribbled “5/3/08—Goya” on a post–it and sent me to the nearby University’s arts library.
Goya’s “Disasters of War” paintings changed my thinking on “progress at any cost.” At night I dreamed I could hear the Spanish POWs screaming for mercy from the Frenchmen invading their country. I read all about Goya. He painted “May Third” yet pledged allegiance to Bonaparte and painted members of the French regime. In 1811 he was awarded the Royal Order of Spain. The life of this artist was at least as intriguing as that of any political revolutionary. Goya became my new tarnished hero.
– RWSlavin
“I wish I could present the piece of art that forever changed me, but the search for that life altering moment is still ongoing. Perhaps, this is a good thing. It means I am still on a journey of discovery, full of unsatisfied curiosity to see what awaits, always vigilant for that moment, and ever eager to explore. The journey is often more rewarding than the destination they say.
On this journey I have already encountered several pieces of art which I treasure. Pieces that inspire, hold a touch of magic, add beauty, and bring me joy. This is one such piece. It captures so many emotions and possibilities. It is a dream grounded in reality, for as fantastical as it seems, that moment can be real—the crisp air dancing on my skin, the waves whispering as I gracefully float on enchanted by the glowing gleam of hope filling the night sky.
One day, I hope it is. This is what inspires me, finding the magical in the mundane. Magical moments are all around us, we only need stop and look.”
– spotted
“So then, the relationship of self to other is the complete realization that loving yourself is impossible without loving everything defined as other than yourself.”
– Alan Watts
“There’s so much life present in this painting. From nature’s green, water in motion, and the mystical glowing orbs that are all surrounded by darkness. It reminds me that my life should be filled with the beautiful things that bring me joy, despite what our crazy world has to offer.”
Your Thoughts
Would you mind sharing your own personal story and artwork in the comments below? You never know who you’ll inspire.
