At GWL we’ve been very excited – and inspired – by the Dear Women… Illuminated Letters project we’re launching today at the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow. (See the last post for more info.)
The whole idea of mixing text and artwork in letters and journals seems particularly popular with women, and if you’re thinking of writing a letter to Glasgow Women’s Library as part of our project, then Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo provides inspiring examples.
One of our volunteers, Zaira, recently wrote a review of The Diary of Frida Kahlo, an intimate self-portrait. This very beautiful book – it’s a full-colour facsimile edition – documents the last ten years of Frida’s life. Sadly, as so often has happened with work by women, Frida’s journal was kept under lock and key for forty years after her death. (I’m not sure why, so if you know, do tell me!)
Here’s part of Zaira’s review: Beautifully hand-written in brightly coloured ink, spattered with watercolours which enhance and shape the written text… here are Frida’s thoughts, her ubiquitous and excruciating pain, as well as her witty and biting sense of humour.
That was good enough to whet my appetite! Off I scurried to our Art, Design and Photography section to find the book. And it’s every bit as beautiful and inspirational as Zaira suggested.
The book also includes many letters Frida wrote and illustrated. In fact, many of Frida’s letters read more like poems, playing with ideas both physical and meta-physical. Others are stream-of-consciousness; words and phrases pouring onto the page in unfettered rushes, creating wonderful sound patterns and strangely evocative combinations.
Here’s an excerpt (in translation) from one of her letters to her husband, Diego Rivera.
My Diego:
Mirror of the night. Your eyes green swords inside my flesh, waves between our hands. All of you in a space full of sounds – in the shade and in the light. You were called AUXOCHROME, the one who captures colour. I CHROMOPHORE – the one who gives colour. You are all the combinations of numbers, life. My wish is to understand the line, the form, the shadow of movement. You fill and I receive. Your words travel the entirety of space and reach my cells which are my stars and go to yours which are my lights.
Frida, so confined by her physical disabilities and pain, seems to rejoice in the freedom and vivacity brightly coloured paints and inks and the blank page provide her with.
So why not follow her example as part of our Illuminated Letters project? Write (or should that be create?) a letter in whatever form takes your fancy. Discover the freedom of ink and the blank page. Challenge yourself to be daring and wild. Banish that insidious little voice that whispers (or shouts) no, you can’t do it that way, you’re not good enough, that doesn’t make sense, it’s too messy. That little voice that stops you from being the truly creative and daring woman you really are.
Write a poem letter, an illustrated letter, a letter in rainbow inks, a letter in psychedelic punk-inspired purples, a letter straight from your heart, to a woman from the past who’s inspired you.
You might even want to write to Frida Kahlo. (In fact, I think I might just do that.) Then send it to us at –
Once we’ve moved to our new premises, which should be just after Easter, we’ll start organising an exhibition of all your Dear Women letters.
In the meantime, do come in and browse our great selection of books. If you’d like to lend us your support and find out how you can help us we’re having a GWL CHAMPIONS drop-in session on Saturday 9th March from 11 – 1pm at our library in Berkeley Street. With tea, coffee and cake, of course.
And if you’d like a sneak preview of our new library premises in Landressy Street, come along to our BOOKS THAT CHANGED OUR LIVES event 6 -7.30pm on Thursday 14th March. Along with author of Demo, Alison Miller, I’ll be discussing and reading from, well, the books that changed our lives, obviously. More of that in my next blog…
Magi
ps Interested in being a book reviewer for Glasgow Women’s Library? Get in touch with me! magi.gibson@womenslibrary.org.uk
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