When A Portrait Is Looking At You
By M.-L.
@MALUSE (69413)
Germany
August 14, 2018 7:44am CST
I've been able to draw well since I was a child. I always had good marks at school. Later I took part in several drawing and painting courses in communal adult education centres. I even dared to draw in public when I visited Florence. I sat on a bench in front of Renaissance church façades and drew them. No need to be shy about this. People who don't know which way to hold a pencil are overawed. Real artists, however, aren't interested in people like me. I don't suffer from illusions. I know where I belong which is in the forecourt of art. I haven't developed my talent. Maybe if I had, I would have been able to make a step forward into the real art world. I'm an avid visitor of museums, galleries and art fairs but am not active any more when it comes to creating something myself. I've become more interested in languages, literature and writing.
Anyways. Once I took part in a course on the theory of art in the same building of the communal adult education centre where I had participated in drawing courses before. We always sat on the same chairs when we met. I always saw the portrait of an old man drawn in charcoal on the wall I was facing. It made me nervous. The portrait had something, but what?
After the last session I shocked my fellow course participants. I took the drawing off the wall and disassembled it. The cardboard background, the drawing and the glass pane were only fixed with metal clips. I didn't find a signature on the back but suddenly I was struck by a revelation. *I* had drawn the portrait myself some years before and forgotten about it! There was no doubt about it. The man had been one of the participants of the course. I didn't remember that the leader of the course had asked me if he could have my drawing to decorate the wall with. So the certain something was my own handwriting so-to-speak looking at me out of the drawing. Weird, innit?
I left the portrait where I had found it so I can't add it here. I'm showing you the portrait of the mother of the famous German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528). I have no illusion that I'm in the same league as Dürer, not even anywhere near. Yet, one should always orientate oneself to the best, shouldn't one?
16 people like this
17 responses
@Inlemay (17714)
• South Africa
21 Aug 18
Now that is a lovely way to say one must aim HIGH (orientate) Well hello, you are definitely a talented lady indeed. Drawing added to your resume and you captured my ageing NECK quite well. Europe is most definitely the best classroom for anyone who would like to pursue the ARTs in any form
@MALUSE (69413)
• Germany
15 Aug 18
I had drawn the portrait some time before I saw it again. I had drawn several portraits during that course and didn't know the man I had drawn. He was one of the participants. So, no, it didn't ring a bell.
Besides, all the portraits which were drawn during the session when the man was our 'model' looked a bit alike. Not surprisingly, as we all drew the same face!
2 people like this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
18 Aug 18
Haha that made me laugh! Your talents have no bounds!
@JudyEv (325648)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Aug 18
I can't see a photo unfortunately. But how cool is that? It was your own drawing. I've come across flash fiction in a file and eventually worked out that I wrote it but I've had no recollection of it.
@acelawrites (19273)
• Philippines
15 Aug 18
You should had put your signature in it! Looks like you made a beautiful drawing! I do not like pictures or paintings on my wall with eyes looking at me because I can imagine so many things; horror things especially when am alone at night!
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
22 Aug 18
Actually we can learn a lot about ourselves finding th8ngs we have done and exploring them more
@topffer (42156)
• France
14 Aug 18
The mother of Dürer is watching me
.
I had a similar experience than your cardboard on the wall a few years ago : in a museum that I visited there was the reconstitution of a rich gallo-roman tomb, and, reading the explanatory board I learned that I had studied the ceramics
. It was years before, I had only seen the ceramics at the time, and was not reminding to have worked on this tomb
.
.
I had a similar experience than your cardboard on the wall a few years ago : in a museum that I visited there was the reconstitution of a rich gallo-roman tomb, and, reading the explanatory board I learned that I had studied the ceramics. It was years before, I had only seen the ceramics at the time, and was not reminding to have worked on this tomb.
@epiffanie (11326)
• Australia
15 Aug 18
That's awesome that your drawing was was hung on the wall 
..
Like you, I also had that passion for drawing when I was little .. Now that I am retiring, I will look into learning more .. 
..
Like you, I also had that passion for drawing when I was little .. Now that I am retiring, I will look into learning more .. 
@Tampa_girl7 (48908)
• United States
7 Dec 20
For your work to have been displayed is quite a honor. I’d love to see some of your drawings.
@JESSY3236 (18925)
• United States
14 Aug 18
I took an art class in middle school and I loved it, but I'm not a good artist.
@Kandae11 (53679)
•
14 Aug 18
Amazing isn't it? that it was the portrait you had drawn years ago hanging on the wall. I like drawing people, but I have never done any courses or taken it seriously -yet I have sold a few paintings and sketches to people I know. My avatar is a self pencil sketch portrait I did eight or nine years ago.
I like drawing people, but I have never done any courses or taken it seriously -yet I have sold a few paintings and sketches to people I know. My avatar is a self pencil sketch portrait I did eight or nine years ago.
@Letranknight2015 (51499)
• Philippines
14 Aug 18
There was one time I almost got into an art course, except that my class mate advised me to take something else.
It's sad I could never draw at this level. In fact ever since I stopped drawing simple presentations, I didn't draw anymore. Good for you to have retain such talent.
