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Selfie of Alex and Darin, October 13, 2024, by Darin Noronha
Portrait of Francois - UMMA
Portrait of Francois - UMMA
by Darin Noronha
On January 19th, one day before our first anniversary, I left the love of my life. The only thought running through my mind all day was that I was about to change our lives. I remembered how we decided to name our firstborn daughter Adalynn and how we dreamed of retiring in the valleys of the Swiss mountains. In preparation, I finished my work for the week.
I called her. I ended it. We both broke down, and she asked me, “Is there anything I could’ve done?”
I said no and that I was sorry and that I wish things could have turned out differently.
We ended the call by telling each other, “I love you.” And the rest of the night was a blur. I didn't know what to do. I didn’t know how to be by myself.
I was with her when I first visited the UMMA and saw Pablo Picasso’s Portrait of Francois (1949). We talked about how romantic the piece was and how fortunate Francois must have felt as Picasso’s muse. In that moment, I viewed the portrait through the lenses of my relationship. I didn't read the description, nor did I care to research the artwork. I was happy, so therefore Francois and Picasso must have been happy too.
Picasso’s Portrait of Françoise hangs in UMMA’s Joan and Robert Tisch Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art. Photo by Darin Noronha.
Picture of me looking at the portrait, Apr 14, 2024, by Shyam Batchu
The next time I visited the Francois, I was alone, lonely… and suddenly she didn’t seem as lucky or in love either. Having nobody to talk to, I had the time to read the description and reevaluate how the piece made me feel. Francois looked solemn. The gray lines on her blouse took on the appearance of prison bars. The description read that Francois was a “strong character,” asserting that the portraits were “not boxes in which [she] fit. [She’s] not a prisoner of them” (“Portrait”). Picasso was known for being cruel and sadistic to himself and others (Cascone). Her words must have struck him the wrong way, so he channeled his emotions into this painting, depicting her as trapped and stoic- how she must have felt.
Summer, a movie character, said that after a relationship, the best way to get over someone is to turn them into literature (Five Hundred). I started journaling. Although the quality of my writing was far from “literature,” I could feel the benefits. Instead of trying to suppress or dwell on my feelings, I would scribble them down and acknowledge them. A study on group art therapy found that participants had clearer self-awareness and a better understanding of themselves after creating art that reflected their emotions (Huang). The ability to express oneself, fully feel their emotions, and then take a step back and reflect on their feelings is essential in overcoming emotional issues.
Everybody experiences heartbreak at some point in their lives. However, people rarely consider using art as therapy- they believe they aren’t “good enough” at it. Healing is a process that takes time and effort. When you decide to put your all into it, it will make sense. And as you figure it out, write it down in pen so it doesn’t disappear.
Works Cited
Batchu, Shyam. Picture of Darin Noronha looking at the painting. 13 Apr. 2024. Author's
Personal collection.
Cascone, Sarah. “Artist Françoise Gilot, Who Chronicled Her Turbulent Decade-Long Relationship with Picasso, Is Dead at 101.” Artnet News, 10 June 2023, news.artnet.com/art-world/francoise-gilot-obituary-2316288#:~:text=People-,Artist%20Fran%C3%A7oise%20Gilot%2C%20Who%20Chronicled%20Her%20Turbulent%20Decade%2DLong%20Relationship,1982%20in%20La%20Jolla%2C%20California.
Five Hundred Days of Summer. Directed by Marc Webb, Performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Dune Entertainment, 2009.
Huang, Chuan‐Yung and Su, Hui and Cheng, Siew‐May and Tan, Chee‐Seng. “The Effects of Group Art Therapy on Adolescents’ Self‐concept and Peer Relationship: A Mixed‐method Study.” New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, vol. 2021, no. 179, United States: Wiley, 2021, pp. 75–92, doi:10.1002/cad.20435.
Noronha, Darin. Selfie of Alex and Darin Noronha. 24 Dec. 2023. Author's personal
collection.
Picasso, Pablo. Portrait of Françoise. 1949. Oil on canvas. UMMA, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Picasso, Pablo. Portrait of Françoise. 1949. Oil on canvas. UMMA, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Photo of Picasso’s Portrait. Darin Noronha. 13 Apr. 2024. Author's personal collection.
“Portrait of Françoise (Buste de Femme).” UMMA, University of Michigan, umma.umich.edu/objects/portrait-of-francoise-buste-de-femme-1994-1-68/. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.
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