Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Currently reading: Secret Lives of Great Artists

This is my current bedtime reading.......written by Elizabeth Lunday. I bought this book from the Baltimore Museum of Art during my last roadtrip.

It was probably a combination of curiosity as well as the innate desire to "dig the dirt" on someone which prompted me to spend USD16.95 on it :P The author wrote about the lives of 35 great artists and their "secrets".

In any case, it was an interesting read and the book revealed some of the following (might or might not be true) on some of our favorite artists:

Vincent van Gogh - his "neurological symptoms" could've been caused by lead/mercury poisoning from the paint that he ate from the tubes.

Leonardo da Vinci - probably had ADHD and could've been in homosexual relationships.

Michelangelo - had a serious case of BO as he thought bathing was bad for health.

Monet - had a cataract problem which affected his color vision. And as a result, he was painting everything in tones of red and yellow before he was treated for his condition.

Picasso - was supposedly a heartless jerk who not only had a series of affairs but couldn't care less for his wives and children.

At the end of the day, I guess while a person can be extremely talented or extraordinary in a certain aspect.....he/she is still a normal person, just like you and me, who has inner struggles, makes mistakes, love/hate and has good and bad hair days.

If you've also read the book before....let me know what you think of it.

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