“Good artists borrow. Great artists steal.” -Picasso
I have always loved that quote, above. It speaks to the outrageous confidence that made the artist Picasso believe he could redefine the world through his art.
But now through scholarship and art history, we’ve come to know what he really stole. He took the bodies and souls of women, women who loved and supported him. He sapped their creativity, abused them, deserted them.
Picasso’s most famous painting, Guernica, shows the faces of women and children in a war zone. The talented artist and photographer who urged Picasso to paint it was his model: portraying her anguish, he showed the world the face of trauma. She was also one of the many lovers he abused.
Not every soul-thief is a great artist. Some are dictators or terrorists. Often, they are fathers or mothers, brothers or sisters, even partners.
Retrieving a soul involves thievery as clear-eyed as that of the thief. Mental Health therapy provides the space for creativity, for vision. When you once again own your soul, you have become the artist. The thief is left with just a copy.
After Picasso abused her, Dora Maar rebuilt her life, kept making art. Many years later she stated, “All (Picasso’s) portraits of me are lies. They’re Picassos. Not one is Dora Maar.”
What was stolen from you? How far will you go to reclaim it?
Stella Luna Counseling & Wellness offers trained and licensed mental health therapists who are here to help you achieve health and wellness, peace and satisfaction, as well as understanding on the various issues that have caused you pain and sadness over the years. We walk beside you, sit with you, listen to you, and offer our insights and professional observations as you journey towards wholeness – a journey all brave souls must undertake in their striving for growth, transformation and development. Allow us to help you on your way – we offer individual therapy , including leading-edge EMDR therapy , as well as Group therapy and Addiction Recovery Support for those determined to overcome substance abuse. Set-up an appointment with us today!
Rachel (Barbara Pollack-Rincon – MSW, LSW) believes therapy can be a space to rewrite life stories, whether through words spoken or written. She embraces breath work and meditation – in particular self-compassion practices – as ways of accessing the dark stories we have internalized, in order to release them and live more fully. Learn more about Rachel and her practice with Stella Luna.
“Perhaps we share stories in much the same way explorers share maps, hoping to speed each other’s journey, but knowing that the journey we make will be our own.”–Gloria Steinem