BOOK REVIEW | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | 41
JUNE, 2020 | ISSUE 312 | Qsaltlake.com
the bookworm sez REVIEW BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER
The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris BY MARC PETITJEAN, TRANSLATED BY ADRIANA HUNTER, C.2020, OTHER PRESS $25, 208 PAGES
Every brush stroke must have had meaning. Every color, every shading, every wipe and fingerprint and trowelmark left by the artist became a portrait of metaphor and mystery: what was the artist trying to say? Was it just a painting or, as in The Heart by Marc Petitjean, was there a story behind it for observers to unravel? Because his father had led a colorful life, Marc Petitjean was surrounded by artwork
q scopes JUNE BY SAM KELLEY-MILLS
ARIES March 20–April 19
Try finding a hobby or project that keeps your mind off stress and worries that have consumed your thoughts as of late. There isn’t a lot of time to get into other people’s heads but plenty of time to get out of yours. Strip away the unnecessary layers and embrace what lies beneath.
TAURUS Apr 20–May 20
A new era is upon you, yet limbo is the current state. It’s not about getting life back on track but finding a new path in which to follow. Sometimes doing nothing is actually doing something, especially when it means building a reserve of energies. When the time comes, just let it blow.
GEMINI May 21–June 20
Whatever has happened lately doesn’t matter. A family member or annoying roommate could be a source of aggravation. It is better to let it go, but don’t be afraid to make
and objets d’art for most of his childhood. One of those works was a painting that Petitjean understood was important to his father. Later, long after the elder man died, Petitjean learned how important the painting was when a stranger inquired about his father, and the affair he had with Frida Kahlo. Michel Petitjean was just twenty-nine when he met Kahlo; she was thirty-three, and was staying in France at the time, having gone there because André Breton, who’d founded the surrealist movement, had decided on his own that Kahlo was a surrealist painter. Breton told her that he wanted to do an exhibit of her work but when Kahlo arrived in France, she was angered that Breton was unprepared for both her arrival and her show. She’d met Breton when he and his wife, Jacqueline, came to Mexico to talk with Leon
Trotsky, who was living temporarily with Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera. The Bretons stayed the Rivera’s for several months — long enough for Kahlo to have a brief but playful sexual affair with Jacqueline before the Bretons returned to France. Petitjean says that there is no way to know exactly how his father met Kahlo, but the first time they slept together “was the day Barcelona fell.” They didn’t speak the same language but he comforted her as best he could, and she grew to mean a lot to him. Later, he helped her pack up her paintings to return them to Mexico, and she gave him option of choosing any painting he wanted. He chose The Heart. In a surprisingly charming mixture of fact and fiction, author Marc Petitjean spins a dreamy tale of an artist and a painting that is in itself a mystery. That, the multiple
a drastic change. It may be too late or undesirable to alter the relationship, but always a good time to walk away.
far even if they can’t touch you.
CANCER June 21–July 22
The duality of truth is something you don’t explore often. While facts are definitive, how you feel about them is up to you. Take time to explore what the heart is saying but never doubt that the head guides. Whether it be a desire for the obscene or a need to go clean, truth is important.
LEO July 23–August 22
There always seems to be a problem to solve. Now is a time when you don’t want to play detective and that is okay. Instead of delving deep into something, explore what is going on around you. There are no emergencies right now, so sit back and enjoy being a spectator for a bit.
VIRGO August 23–Sep. 2
Where have all your friends gone? It seems like a lonely time but it’s really about them more than you. Reach out to friends and loved ones who are missing you too. If they don’t care, then take that as a sign to move on. Everyone that matters is never
LIBRA Sept 23–October 22
The task at hand is something to be taken seriously. There is a time for fun and a time to work and plenty of room to do both. Figure out the boundaries and plan accordingly. Work is always a challenge. Remember that no one cares as long as they see good results from you.
SCORPIO Oct. 23–Nov. 21
Take a seat and enjoy a glass of wine as much as possible. The season for fun may not be quite as exciting as it should be, but there are simple pleasures to be found. Get a grip and settle in for some good rides. In the long term, you might actually start to get used to this. Relax and enjoy.
SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22–December 20.
Try to see a bigger picture but don’t forget what is going on around you. The cycle of redundancy has you questioning the wrong things while being certain about doubtful elements. Ask for advice from those you trust. Even if you don’t agree with everyone, broaden your perspective.
hypotheses, and a lingering unknown make “The Heart a captivating tale. Petitjean depicts Paris in the pre-War years in a way that lets readers feel the devil-may-care extravagance of the city’s residents living in the shadow of Nazism and looming trouble, giving this book a dark sense of forboding. He then imagines Kahlo’s political leanings and adds to her mystique, giving her a certain cheeky flamboyance and, with passages that seem as if they’re viewed through sheer white curtains, he shows us a Kahlo that falls easily in lust and love, but with a blithe sense of detatchment. Petitjean hints that his father was more upset about that than was Kahlo, but again — we’ll never know for sure. Still, readers that love art, biographies, historical mysteries, and Kahlo in particular will find The Heart to be a stroke of enjoyment. Q
CAPRICORN Dec 21–Jan 19
A frustrating element has a deceptively simple solution. Take time to figure it out but don’t overthink the problem. Simple explanations tend to be right. Take a key person in your life off a pedestal and start to see them for who they are. Flaws aren’t always attractive but they do provide intrigue.
AQUARIUS Jan. 20–Feb. 18
The flight or fight responses are going to be normal for a while. With life bringing ups and downs, there is a tendency to get discouraged. Keep caring but stop engaging so much. Give in to a tendency to rebel but make sure you don’t damage key relationships. Independence is an illusion.
PISCES Feb 19–Mar 19
Forget all your troubles for a while and realize there are people worse off than you. Even the more dire situations teach and individual moments are often neutral. Find the pleasure in little things and don’t worry about the big picture. Figure out how to make each moment a mental vacation.. Q