Through my eyes: Art Critic

A/N: he´s so sweet! 

btw: Ben fatto!: well done and Sí, tesoro: yes, sweetheart

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If music was my thing, painting was Marissa´s thing. A few of my friends from college said we were an artistic couple, once they´ve found out through Marissa that I played the guitar. Some had said I should´ve gone to Art school instead of Med school, seemed like people were set in my musical career but that was fine, I like arts too which was why I was going now to one of her exhibitions for a class.

It was strange that she and I had never gone to any art museum or art exhibition; this would be the first time. I had thought that it´d be redundant to take her to places she knew or to see things she´d seen before but  we´d gone to concerts of music I had already heard and sung and knew and it was still a great experience. Next time I´ll think about taking her to the art museum, maybe even to one of aunt Liz galleries.

“We made a little experiment with Nini –Marissa said as we entered the room- we decided to paint on the other´s usual style –she smiled- the tricky part is that we´ve never done this and this is our final for this subject”

“You’re experimenting with something that big?” I knew my eyes were wide because she giggled

“Yeah!”

“Why?”

“It’s fun and exciting”

“What if you can’t make it?” it was such a reckless idea

“We did our best and we can always take the subject again. We’re already artists” she winked, these sounded like Nichole’s words…I wanted to frown, disapprove the idea but I didn’t say that.

“But you’re on a scholarship”

“Details –she waived her hand as if it wasn’t much- now –she said- did you ever see any of her works?”

“Yeah” of course I had, I even had many of her paintings and drawings

“Great! –she clapped her hands three times- these works don’t have a visible signature, so your job is to find my painting and hers” she kissed my cheek.

“I’m part of the game too?” I shook my head

“Sí, tesoro” she nodded as she winked “no fun without you” she had a playful smile on her face; I just shook my head again. I had seen some of what she did, she didn´t carry a drawing pad everywhere and didn’t draw on every surface available but she was very good, she did doodle cartoons on some of my notebooks but she said she liked the abstract art the best.

What she was asking me now was nothing new, not much, she was always playing and it was somewhat fun especially after my long hours at the hospital, so I complied. If was her I wouldn’t have made a game of my grade but if she wanted to take risks with her future she could do it… it might be a show of confidence in her skills, that was ok… or so I wanted to believe.

Together we went through the room observing the different paintings in the room, they were very diverse, the place didn’t seem to have a theme or maybe they did and I didn’t notice which one it was, I asked Mari about this and she said it was related to whom got the best attendance during the class, those got the best spots. We stopped when I spotted a lake. I knew it was something Nic would paint. I took Nichole as the reference because I felt I knew her style better. The lake was the one in which I had seen her for the first time in school. This painting was all gray, cold. Nic always seemed to like green leaves or moon lit landscapes but maybe that had changed

“I think this is yours” I said to Marissa

“Are you sure about that?” she eyed me with a smile tugging at her lips

“Yes, I am sure”

“Really? And what makes you so confident about it, Mr. Arlington?” she said as if challenging me but her smile couldn’t be suppressed

“Well, -I made it as if I was adjusting my non-existing glasses and she giggled- I´ve noticed that miss. Lucheti –I used her last name- is going through a hot color period which would be inconsistent with this painting which I’ve been told is probably opposite to what she´d usually do –I smiled and she giggled- also, the artist prefers working with abstract themes and this, as her challenge said is the opposite, the most opposite of abstract as you can get but then, miss. Lucheti is there, why would she go ahead and paint this cold almost frozen lake, what does it say of her, what is that feeling of  peace and quietness that it gives when it should make us shiver? It´s a cold place but somehow you feel warm” I explained without mentioning Nichole only Marissa’s style or what I guessed it could be.

“Ben fatto, tesoro!” She was satisfied. I was rewarded with a quick hug and kiss and then she urged me to find Nichole´s. We went to the next room, where the less privileged spots were, apparently, she still had a thing for skipping classes. I saw her painting as soon as I entered.

“That one” I said as soon as we got close to it

“Why that one?”

“The lines –I started- the same hard lines and confident strokes –I took a step closer to the large painting, almost from ceiling to floor- not her usual colors but that must be her interpretation of your style –I saw the tittle of the picture: The Hunt- definitelya topic she´d choose –I said- there’s the aggressiveness and violence she’d give to that. The blood –I pointed to the red spots, it was after all an abstract painting- is central but the rest, the how is also important –I motioned to the rest- some green’s there, hope, maybe” I finished and stepped back to see the whole painting one more time

“Nini, you have a fan here!” I heard Marissa said and I was startled by the name, I turned around

“He pays attention, he´ll soon know your ways” she said to Marissa but looked at me

“You´re right, he gave a satisfactory critic to mine, very professional” she winked

“I bet” Nichole nodded and excused herself, she was originally going to the other room, the one we´d come from. I wondered how I had said all that about her work, I had never actually thought of those things before, maybe listening to aunt Lizzy made me say all that.

Mari made me tell her my thoughts on many other paintings as well, she didn’t only want a “it´s good” but something like I had said for hers or Nichole´s painting. I told her I didn’t know a thing about the authors of those paintings, that many I just didn’t like, too dark or they didn’t make much sense to me and some were just nice, something you´d place on the back wall of the dining room, she laughed at that.

“That´s cruel, Mr. Arlington but I agree with you…” she told me why she agreed and some critics of her own to some of her classmates’ works. I hadn’t been cruel, just real, she told me how some of the works had been made by other people or with the assistance of some other people and that she hoped the teacher noticed.

“It wouldn’t be fair that those got sold and not the ones that are actually done by the artist” she commented with a frown

“Are you selling these works?”

“Yeah, starting tomorrow, it´ll be open to the public but they have invited people interested in art, gallery owners and philanthropists, collectors, people who might be interested in buying… We´re aware that not all of the works will be bought, maybe only a few will be but it´d be cool to sell mine” she smiled

“But you´ve already sold your work, you made a living of that” I reminded her

“Yeah, but it´s not the same, those were tourist and I was part of the memory, you know, the Italian kid painting their portrait, this would be just about how much my art can touch people”

“Even if it was an experiment?” I arched my eyebrows, she scoffed

“Sí, I should be able to cause some emotion in the people that see my work, even if it´s not what I´m more confident doing it, it´d make it better because it´s not my usual thing… It´d be cool even if they bought it to be put in the dining room” she pouted and I chuckled

“Your painting won’t end in a dining room” I assured her making a mental note to come tomorrow and buy her painting, I wouldn’t hang it on the dining room, I could place it in the study back home or maybe even in my room.