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PC269/705: Selected Program Notes From the Retrospective Exhibition of Theresa
Talia:
PodCastle 269: Selected Program Notes From the Retrospective Exhibition of Theresa Rosenberg Latimer
by Kenneth Schneyer.
Read by Peter Wood.
Originally published in Clockwork Phoenix 4, edited by Mike Allen.
34. _Magda #4_ (1989)
Oil on poplar wood, 30 x 21″
Private collection
Sometimes called “Devotion” by critics, this nude the earliest extant work featuring Magda Ridley Meszaros (1963-2023), Latimer’s favorite model and later her wife. The lushness of the flesh and the rosiness of the skin are reminiscent of Renoir’s paintings of Aline Charigot _(See, e.g., The Large Bathers_ (1887) (Fig. 8)). Latimer maintains microscopic hyperrealism even as she employs radiating brushstrokes which emanate from the model, as if Meszaros is the source of reality itself.
_Discussion questions:_
a. The materials and dimensions of this painting duplicate those of Da Vinci’s _La Gioconda_ (c. 1503-1519) (Fig. 17). Is this merely a compositional joke or homage by Latimer? How does it change the way you see the painting?
b. Most biographers agree that Latimer and Meszaros were already lovers by the time this work was completed. Is this apparent from the composition or technique? From the pose of the model? As you proceed through the exhibit, note similarities and differences between this and other portrayals of Meszaros over the next 34 years.
Rated R. Contains references to murder and child abuse.
Listen to this week’s PodCastle!
ToooooMuchCoffeeMan:
At the start of this story I thought it was an interesting twist on the epistolary, but otherwise unremarkable. I was listening while riding my bicycle and when the story finished I had to stop because I was sobbing, and at first I couldn't even have said why.
Part of it is the contrast of the dry, academic, unemotional narration and the lives it reveals, bursting with love and tragedy and joy. The relatively abrupt ending was like a punch to the sternum. It literally took my breath away.
I do not believe in any of the metaphysics implied by this story, but I do believe that a world where it were so would be a more hopeful and if not more comfortable, at least a more comfortED place.
jpv:
For the first half or so, I kept starting to reach over to my phone to skip over it, but the intro said not to...
I'm glad I didn't.
I liked where it went and I actually liked how open to interpretation it still is. There's just enough of a touch of the fantastical to make me think. The style is odd, but I think it works. It would be interesting to see a version of the story / world from TRL's point of view, although I imagine it would be rather different in tone.
Kaa:
Kind of ditto. Because Dave said not to skip it, I gave it that extra couple of minutes. I was driving, and after I got where I was headed, I sat in the car in the parking lot and let it play to the end. It was just beautiful and moving, and like ToooooMuchCoffeeMan, I'm not altogether sure why. The only thing was...I kept wanting to Google Image search the (real) paintings referenced so I could see the image.
Perhaps I'll listen to this one again while I'm actually at my computer and can listen more actively.
Moritz:
I liked it in the first hearing but I needed to listen to it twice before posting, fearing that I had missed something. I generally like more experimental, even the more pretentious writing styles, so I was exited about this piece from the beginning - though at first I wasn't sure where this would be going, as I don't know anything about art criticism. Some of the questions were quite suggestive weren't they? They really worked as part of building the story but they would be strange in an actual program.
I read a lot of fiction like this in book form but would usually file it under literally fiction, maybe magical realism*. In fact, I am not sure how well it fits into PodCastle's portfolio, especially right after Conan. I usually delete past episodes from my iTunes, but this one will definitely stay on my playlist. It's one of the more distinct pieces of the last months.
* i.e. fantasy for people who think that genre fiction isn't art. ;)
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