With the recent passing of Luciano Pavarotti and Marcel Marceau, much has been written about them separately, their art, their contributions to humanity and their extraordinary gifts. They were really one and the same….
It feels strange to me that they have not been connected, their lives and their craft moved people so profoundly. Even though their methods of delivery could not have been more different, what they delivered proved to us that they were forces of nature. That’s the connection for me, and that they both exhibited tremendous joy, intensity and humanity in their work.
This is a time when technology is criticized for the many distractions it causes (hello Black Friday!) but in this case should be lauded for it’s ability to record for now and for future generations the extraordinary gifts great artists such as Pavarotti and Marceau had, and gave to us. If we could have only watched Beethoven perform or Michelangelo sculpt! I recently showed to my class “The Mystery of Picasso” (trailer), a movie of the man painting live! It’s a must see as the paintings in the movie were destroyed immediately following the filming, which is why it’s a national treasure of France. Sometimes over analysis in school puts us too close, sometimes studying an art form should include time for us to step back to be awestruck without having to know why. There a few greater feelings than that, it’s OK for us to be fans too! From time to time we need to be audience members, doctors are patients too sometimes!
For these two artists I am thankful for the possibilities they showed us, and the joy that they brought us. The silence from both truly is deafening. Here they are in all their glory:
Well, can I admit that I was never a Pavarotti fan? Tremendous voice, but there didn’t seem to be long-term artistry there. However, I did get the chance to see Marcel Marceau a few years ago in performance. That was one of the most incredible experiences of my artistic life. He was approaching 80 years old and in the kind of shape that many professional athletes could only hope to attain. But it was his ability to draw in the audience that was his detailed artistry that was absolutely captivating. Long Live the Silent One!