My Intimate Dinner
Some people say that what I am going to write about later is just a dream. No doubt, they are just jealous. Once a brilliant idea came to my mind. I decided to have an intimate party and invite there 6 successful people in the sphere of art.
One of the guests was Vincent van Goth. Even though many people perceived him as a “mad” artist, I found him very pleasant to talk to. Vincent developed a distinctive style that failed to be accepted by the art-buying public in his own time. With a career that ran a little over a decade, he produced an astonishing amount of work: 1,000 drawings, 150 watercolors, 10 watercolors, 9 lithographs, an etching, and over 900 paintings. I could not believe that only 1 of his works had been sold. While we were talking he said “What is done in love is done well” and no one could argue with that. He also mentioned “I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process” and I was amazed by his devotion to art.
Another prominent guest was Martha Graham, an outstanding teacher, an eminent dancer, and an incredible choreographer of great stature. She played a pivotal role in establishing American Modern dance as a serious art form. I asked her: When it started? She told me that her father, who specialized in mental disorders, gave her the first inkling that inner thoughts and feelings could be physically expressed and understood when he caught her in a childish deception and explained: “The body doesn’t lie.” I was delighted to learn more about her but previously I knew well that her modern dance technique is the most widely taught technique in the world. Founded in 1926 (the same year as Graham’s professional dance company), the Martha Graham School is the oldest school of dance in the United States. I cannot stop marveling at her: Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She was the first dancer to perform at the White House, travel abroad as a cultural ambassador, and receive the highest civilian award of the US: the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction.
A versatile actress and a model, Emma Watson dropped by that evening as well. She told us that one day when she was 9 after the premiere of Harry Potter she woke up famous and could not believe in it. Emma Watson actively fought for women’s rights. Watson had visited Bangladesh and Zambia to promote the education of girls in these countries. I wondered about her retirement from acting, according to her words it is connected with her plans for personal life but I am not going to give away her secrets. Everything remains between the guests of my intimate dinner.
I was glad that Greta Gerwig had come. She is a fabulous director and gifted actress. Gerwig has had two solo directorial ventures, the coming-of-age films Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019), both of which earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture. For the former, she received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. She informed us that after the 2018 Oscars Gerwig retreated to a cabin in Big Sur to revise Little Women. Gerwig was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world in 2018
One of the unexpected guests was Eminem or Marshall Bruce Mathers III. He is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and record producer. Eminem is among the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated worldwide sales of more than 220 million records. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in Middle America and is critically acclaimed as one of the greatest rappers of all time He has won numerous awards, including 15 Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awards, an Academy Award, and an MTV Europe Music Global Icon Award.
The person who was rather late but still amiably welcomed was Vladimir Horowitz. He is considered to be the greatest pianist of all time. For the first time, he appeared in 1920 in Kharkiv. He gave his debut in the US in 1928 at Carnegie Hall and he went on to become an American citizen. He is best known for his performances of Romantic works including music by Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Schumann.
All the guests were so different but each of them had a lot to tell. We relished this opportunity to have a talk with each other and found it difficult to leave. Hope we meet another time to catch up.