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| Copyright Claire Fuller |
“How long are you going to stare at it?” Clarence's wife said as she passed his office.
“Until it talks to me.” He never waited this long to understand a sculpture. It was his work. This one had to have a meaning.
“What if it never does?” He didn’t want to think of that. He didn’t want to envision the rest of his life, waiting to understand the meaning of one person’s work.
The secret had to be in the one splash of ink. The almost hastily scribbled heart, the second face. It was in there. It had to be.
Please check out the other Fictioneers at Rochelle's Wordpress blog or on the Facebook Page.
Dear Atiya,
ReplyDeleteI'd say you didn't have to stare at it very long to come up with a story. Tough moment for an artist when he realizes his work has no meaning. Entertaining story. Happy to see you here this week.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks Rochelle, you're absolutely right about the story. That took about three minutes The sculpture though, is just awesome and I'm SOOOO curious as to what it means to Claire. Artist in general are amazing to me.
DeleteHah! I really liked this. It's so fascinating to see what everyone is making of the sculpture - or not. Just like our writing, you can take the sculpture any way you choose, but for me it is two lovers embracing - you can just see his fingers curling around the top of her head on the left. It is a work in progress - so the black heart is simply some charcoal that I've drawn on (same with his eyebrow and eyelid) to help me think about where to carve next.
ReplyDeleteYou know what even with the heart I never made the connection that they might be lovers. I was thinking some kind of Chimera or Hydra beast made human (my imagination does things). Now that you told me what is it I totally see that. I kind of feel bad for going in the other direction.
DeleteSculpting has always been a mystery to me so anyone who can make anything from stone gets as many thumbs up in my book that I can muster. Thanks for the picture.
The meaning of the work is already there, locked inside him. I take your post as a metaphor for the mystery of self-discovery which can take a lifetime. One day it will all fall into place ...or perhaps not.
ReplyDeleteI like that. What I was going for was the beginnings of obsession. He felt the pull and was resisting a little. Eventually he will succumb to the obsession and be completely in his mercy. I felt like he'd been there before and was not ready for that again.
DeleteI'm glad you used the heart on the side. I thought of it, but it didn't fit my story. It is a great metaphor for love: two people so close they start growing into one
ReplyDeleteYeah that is a great metaphor, thanks for coming by.
DeleteIt is a rather interesting piece of artwork. I like your take on the prompt. Being an artist that loses their inspiration or direction with a piece has got to be every bit as frustrating as writer's block. Take care.
ReplyDeleteFrustration, yes probably more so just because it's something that you just can't put away in a computer and get back to later. I mean think about it. It's there taking up space in your home or studio, sort of taunting you in it's unfinished state. I think I'd loose my mind. At least with writer's block you can close the file and get on with life, to an extent.
DeleteThis is stunning - the metaphor is beautifully strong. Especially given that the meaning of this story is so powerful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a good piece, very well written.
Thank you so much for commenting. I'm a big fan of obsessive curiosity. I think most of my good Friday Fictioneer stories have a super question in them or behind them.
DeleteI sometimes feel like that when I look at modern art or "art." :-) But your story was well-told. I definitely understood the obsession part when he mentioned his whole life. I don't think I'd care enough to wonder about it that long. Nice job. Good to have you back.
ReplyDeletejanet
Thank you, I was hoping that someone caught his reluctance to spend the rest of his life on this piece of work. It's not a pleasant thing. I'm glad to be back. Everything on Atiya Planet seems to just get away with me. I need to stop and write something quick once in a while.
DeleteNicely done, I really understand those kinds of feelings myself. The artist muse, waiting for it to return so you can finish what you started!
ReplyDeleteOH gosh the waiting is almost unbearable isn't it??? Thanks for dropping by.
DeleteA great story exploring the great mystery of art, its soul, its pull on us, its many meanings. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Art is complicated isn't it. It will say one thing to one person and something to another person. Each work has it's own personality and people can spend countless hours trying to figure "it" out. I'm glad you liked it.
DeleteI am thinking it will dawn on him eventually and this could become a Da Vinci Code like novel!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting how you started your story with the protagonist staring at the sculpture just like you were staring at the prompt.
It is a very different prompt indeed. Tough one! You did a good job at it.
I like this photo prompt. It was different and had so many ways to draw you in. Thank you for the boost, having only seen the movie to Da Vinci code I'd have to say that maybe I wouldn't go that far. There's hope though, maybe we'll get to movie status one day.
DeleteA unique and multilayered take on the prompt. I'm so glad I never read any other story before writing my own. Very good.
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing. I don't want someone else's idea clouding my head. Thank for coming by.
DeleteDear Atiya,
ReplyDeleteA great way to extract meaning from the artistic process. You captured the wonder that is the first part of understanding.
Aloha,
Doug
Doug,
DeleteThat you understood that in my story makes me happy. Let me go a step further and say that I was working off the hazards of trying to understand something. One could spend an eternity doing that even for one's own work.
Thanks for coming by.
Atiya
Captures the artistic conundrum perfectly! I stare at a blank page quite often, waiting for it--or someone--to talk to me. Good job.
ReplyDeleteHere's mine: http://unexpectedpaths.com/friday-fictioneers/hephaestus-wedge/
The wait, the frustration, it's all there. I can relate. Thanks for saying so.
DeleteHi Atiya,
ReplyDeleteYou pose an interesting artisitic dilemma, the artist trying to find meaning in his own work. Ron
Thank you Ron.
DeletePowerfully written, Atiya. http://readinpleasure.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/fridayfictioneers-janus
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteI liked the sense of frustration he had in trying to find a meaning, as if a piece simply being beautiful to look at was not enough to warrant it's creation. Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteFor Clarence, just being pretty, would never be enough. Much like writers, it would be nice if the book sold, but really all of want to be the next great writer. There has to be a purpose in it.
DeleteEverything has a meaning?...Doesn't it? NIce work.
ReplyDeleteTom
Now there's the question. Does it have meaning or does it have meaning to you? Thanks for coming by.
DeleteI wonder if he'll ever figure it out? And what will happen to his marriage and the rest of his life if he keeps obsessing over it? This could easily turn into a horror story!
ReplyDeleteAlso - I sympathize with your struggle to find a starting point - I had the same problem!
It could turn into a horror story! I had not thought of that. You have to wonder what lengths will Clarence go to understand. Will there be clues, a journey perhaps, a story behind its creation. What was the driving madness that made this sculpture take shape? Yes a story waiting to be told is definitely there.n Thank you for coming by.
DeleteAh, the heart. I loved that you used that in your story. It must mean something.
ReplyDeleteI agree, artists are an enigma to me too.
ReplyDeleteInteresting little mystery and a great insight into this character's mind. Don't we all hate not knowing the answer?
ReplyDeleteOne little crit is the dual use of "work". I assume that in the first place, it's used to refer to Clarence's job and in the second to the artist's creation. I also assumed that it wasn't Clarence who made the sculpture, but this dual use of "work" makes it slightly confusing to me.