Portrait of Lisane de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky
My rating: 4/5 cats
“Painting requires many techniques. That’s always been your downfall. You’ve only mastered one.” She paused, her breathing labored. “The true difference between master and student isn’t knowing how to use the techniques at one’s command. It’s knowing when to use them. That’s always been my talent. I know when to use my tools. Now it’s time to use you.”
this is a really strong free tor short, which i didn’t realize was written by the woman who wrote If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love, a.k.a. the story that broke the 2014 hugo awards.
this one is much better. it’s a kind of branch off the dorian gray tree, where the essences of life and love and art interact in a magical process of enhanced creation that is fueled by destruction.
it’s complicated.
but also beautiful. it’s the story of a woman summoned to the deathbed of her former mentor and lover lisane da patagnia, a woman as famous for her artistic talent as she is for her carnal appetite. in all her years of mentoring young hopefuls in both art and intimacy, not one lived up to her standards of magic-infused artwork, and now, at the end of her life, she calls upon renn, who was once her most gifted pupil in the magical aspect, if not the artistry, to grant them both a final chance at a legacy.
renn recalls the specifics of their tempestuous relationship, the ambition and passion and shortcomings of her performance while under lisane’s tutelage, all that goes into creating art, and what it takes from the artist and the subject.
it’s wonderfully tactile, almost lurid:
I mixed carnelian and yellow, slopping them on in messy, concentric whorls. When my brush seemed inadequate, I used my fingers, my palms, my face, whatever parts of my body I could bring into contact with the canvas.
and it is as much a story of loss as it is creation. lovely, poignant, and FREE! plus, zero hugos were harmed in the making of this story.
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/2012/08/22/portrai…
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