The Over-Obsessed Artist Trope

To love art is to be maddened by it.

This is a notion that has always been in my head since I watched a particular movie which I will talk about later on. First of all, I'd like to deal with the thing that inspired me to choose this topic for today. It was Day 1 of Theatre No.59 (a well-acclaimed drama group) Night at MCC. The Hindi Crew put on a show, titled 'Kala', dealing with the theme that I've mentioned in the title- the over-obsessed artist trope.

The protagonist, Sneha, is a dance student at her own mother's classical dance academy. She strives to be a good enough student for her mother but she is bested by another student named Nishta at every turn. The fact that Sneha is unable to reach her mother's expectations and perfect the art causes strain in her family dynamic, making her mother angry with her which in turn makes her father angry at her mother. This causes the mother to leave her father for another guy and her father ends up hanging himself. Maddened by all this trauma and the desire to be the best at the art form that was chosen for her, she ends up challenging Nishta to a dance-off and gives her everything to be better than Nishta, and then eventually ends up killing Nishta because she wants to be the greatest.

This reminded me of this one movie directed by Darren Aronofsky by the name 'Black Swan'. The film follows Nina Sayers, portrayed by Natalie Portman, a talented but fragile ballet dancer who lands the lead role in a New York City production of 'Swan Lake'. Nina's pursuit of perfection and the pressure from her demanding director pushes her to her limits and makes her paranoid and fall into hallucinations. The arrival of a new dancer, Lily, further complicates Nina's mental state, leading to a twisted rivalry and a blurred line between reality and fantasy, which eventually leads Nina who had the personality of the White Swan turn into a complete Black Swan.

Both Sneha and Nina become obsessed with their art to the extent that they lose themselves over it. To be the greatest at what they do and to eliminate any sort of competition makes them resort to cruel means they wouldn't have even thought of if they hadn't lost their sanity over it.

Perfection comes with a cost. One can lose oneself completely without being aware of it as one strives for artistic excellence. Because there is a very thin line between passion and obsession. Though passion is essential for the soul, obsession sometimes derails it. And an obsessed artist can never be fully sane. Because to be a great artist is to be a little mad.

Comments

The Significance of Jo March's Monologue in 'Little Women'

'Little Women', a classic novel by Louisa May Alcott was adapted into a movie under the direction of Greta Gerwig (one of my absolute favourite directors of all time) in the year 2019. It portrays the lives of four sisters- Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy- navigating love, aspirations, and societal expectations during the Civil War era. The film beautifully captures their individual journeys and the evolving dynamics of sisterhood. Jo March, who is the second of the four March sisters, is the protagonist who aspires with every fibre in her to become a well-acclaimed writer. It's even more interesting how the character of Jo is actually based on Louisa May Alcott herself, making the story sort of a semi-autobiography. Played by Saoirse Ronan, Jo is portrayed as an extremely independent woman, challenging the gender roles and the restraints placed upon women in society. Even though the whole movie is something that strikes the very depths of our hearts, there is one particular monolo...

Lost in the Waves

Beaches have always been a favourite of mine. It's almost like the sea calls my name, beckoning me to embrace its folds. To throw myself into the waters and have no care in the world is something too special to me. Because when I'm neck-deep in there, I'm nothing. My weight against the force of the waves becomes irrelevant. And I'm not just speaking of the weight of my body but of my heart too. In fact, I think my heart is far more heavy than my body ever will be. After all, it is a museum of everything I have loved and lost and loved again. And the artefacts within it weigh down on me- it makes me slump my shoulders and drag my feet while I should be floating around with ease. It makes even the easiest tasks undoable. But the moment I step into the water, I'm free of it all. Maybe it is an inherent nature of mine- to dive into something that is ragingly unpredictable. But rage is so dear to me. Unpredictability is so dear to me. It's something I've grown up...

Academic Burn Out

I used to be someone who was at the top of her class. I've always had a rank above five till my ninth grade. It's not that I felt pressured to study that hard but people appreciated me best when I did. And I craved that appreciation and validation from my parents, teachers and relatives, even if it meant unending sleepless nights and constant stress. I wasn't particularly exceptional at any co-curricular activity or sports event. I was just in the middle of everything- not that poor but not that good either. Studying was the one thing that people accepted I was really good at. So I did everything to keep their beliefs intact. But in my tenth grade, academic burnout hit me and it hit me hard. I felt like I was literally draining myself too much. I lost the will to study. I barely passed my model exams. Tenth grade is believed to be a turning point in every single student's life- the phase where they're supposed to work the hardest. But I couldn't focus. I couldn...

Allow Ann to Babble, Please!

Search This Blog