Competition Twenty-Six Shortlisted: Shades of Clotilde by Denise Bayes
Clotilde en perfil 1884
Joaquin raises his brush, observing the young woman reading beneath the glow of cadmium yellow light. As a boy in her father’s photography studio, he discovered the power of light and shade. He observed Señor Peris creating images of Valencian grandees, eyes averted from the lens, hinting at lives beyond the room.
As he paints, Joaquin tells Clotilde of his travels to Italy, to Madrid. He has discovered new painters, experimental methods he wants to try. When he left, she was her father’s daughter, her brother’s kid sister. Now, as he tries to capture her image in paint, he sees she is a woman.
Madre 1895
In a swirl of lead white, Joaquin paints Clotilde wrapped in a sea of snowy bedding. Nestled beside her is the tiny head of Elena, their youngest child. He paints Clotilde and Elena as individuals, woman and child.
For many years, he has been building his reputation as an artist. He knows Clotilde’s guidance has helped him find fame, inspiring him to represent social change and experiment with new techniques. Rich Spaniards ask him to paint their portraits in dark rooms.
But today Joaquin lifts his brush, creating a cloud of light around his wife and daughter.
Clotilde con Mantilla Negra 1919
Clotilde stares straight out at the man who has shared her life. She knows the role she has had in his career. Together they have crossed oceans. She has planned his exhibitions in American cities, organised his diary and accounts.
He is her master of light. She, his perpetual ideal.
Clothilde watches him search the darkest shades in his palette to capture her eyes. She knows her gaze will watch over this man and his legacy long after he has put down his brush.
Denise Bayes has been published in NZ Micro Madness, Free Flash Fiction, Oxford Flash,100 Word Story, Ellipsis Zine, Firewords, 100 Word Project, Roi Fainéant press and The Centrifictionist. Originally from the North of England, Denise now lives in Barcelona, Spain with her husband and a crazy cavalier puppy called Rory.
Painting – Clotilde con traje de noche by Joaquín Sorolla via wikimedia
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