Well written and excellent in sight. We have a 7ft self portrait of Saul hanging in our setting room. I Loved my husband's sister Becky deeply. AND a friend of Saul's. He was deeply troubled. It was a very complex situation and relationship. We continue to disply the painting.
Finally. Someone with a nuanced searching take on the tragic death of my dear sister and, yes, my friend Saul. I am deeply angry with Saul for taking my sister away from me, and I hold him responsible for the murder despite his very real mental illness. Saul was many things, and there were certainly aspects of malevolence in his illness and, yes, in his life. But he was not downright evil, and more importantly he was not misogynistic. The on-again, off-again relationship was complex, tragic and doomed. But the difficulties were because of Saul's illness and downright despair in life and the world, a thread omnipresent in his stunningly powerful art. In countless conversations with Saul that I had, this despair always came through. But it wasn't the sum of his existence or his creativity would not have been possible. And hatred or attempted domination of women was never an element, not in his conversation or his art or his life. His killing of Rebeccah was horrible. But it wasn't because she was a woman or a partner he wanted to control.
Saul should not be cancelled or disappeared from art because of the bad actions stemming from his mental illness. We all lose from that, especially for an artist of his merit. Sexism and racism in great and good artists is widespread and there are many artists that exhibited those traits whose work we still celebrate. For the art itself, it may be appropriate to be selective about what works should not be shown because of what they express or advocate (but I can't any find any such problem works from Saul).
While despair and downright misery run disturbingly through many of his works, I can't find anything remotely misogynistic or indeed depicting hatred against any person. Rebeccah should remembered and celebrated, and independently from Saul (in other venues than this response and at greater length). But Saul's intriguing, complex, and haunting work should be preserved and appreciated.
Well written and excellent in sight. We have a 7ft self portrait of Saul hanging in our setting room. I Loved my husband's sister Becky deeply. AND a friend of Saul's. He was deeply troubled. It was a very complex situation and relationship. We continue to disply the painting.
Lisa
Finally. Someone with a nuanced searching take on the tragic death of my dear sister and, yes, my friend Saul. I am deeply angry with Saul for taking my sister away from me, and I hold him responsible for the murder despite his very real mental illness. Saul was many things, and there were certainly aspects of malevolence in his illness and, yes, in his life. But he was not downright evil, and more importantly he was not misogynistic. The on-again, off-again relationship was complex, tragic and doomed. But the difficulties were because of Saul's illness and downright despair in life and the world, a thread omnipresent in his stunningly powerful art. In countless conversations with Saul that I had, this despair always came through. But it wasn't the sum of his existence or his creativity would not have been possible. And hatred or attempted domination of women was never an element, not in his conversation or his art or his life. His killing of Rebeccah was horrible. But it wasn't because she was a woman or a partner he wanted to control.
Saul should not be cancelled or disappeared from art because of the bad actions stemming from his mental illness. We all lose from that, especially for an artist of his merit. Sexism and racism in great and good artists is widespread and there are many artists that exhibited those traits whose work we still celebrate. For the art itself, it may be appropriate to be selective about what works should not be shown because of what they express or advocate (but I can't any find any such problem works from Saul).
While despair and downright misery run disturbingly through many of his works, I can't find anything remotely misogynistic or indeed depicting hatred against any person. Rebeccah should remembered and celebrated, and independently from Saul (in other venues than this response and at greater length). But Saul's intriguing, complex, and haunting work should be preserved and appreciated.