The Art Thread: The Leaf That Did Not Fall
A companion story — when a painting becomes an act of love
Kaveri pairs this unit with a famous short story: The Last Leaf by O. Henry. Winds of Change showed art as a fading craft. The Last Leaf shows art doing something a machine never could — saving a life. Together they ask: what is art really for?
A sick young artist believes she will die when the last ivy leaf falls. An old painter saves her — with a secret masterpiece.
"Mr Behrman died of pneumonia this morning. He was ill for only two days." "The first day the janitor found him on his bed. His clothes and shoes were wet and he was shivering." "He had been out in that stormy night." Then they found a ladder and a lantern still lighted lying near his bed. There were also some brushes and green and yellow paints on the floor near the ladder. "Johnsy dear," said Sue, "look out of the window. Look at that ivy leaf. Haven't you wondered why it doesn't when the wind blows?" "That's Behrman's . He painted it the night the last leaf fell."
Put the three texts of this unit together: the pankha article (a craft fading from use), The Last Leaf (a painting that saves a life), and the poem you're about to read, Canvas of Soil (a garden as a work of art). What single question are all three circling — and what different answer does each give about what art and craft are for?
Take a moment to form your answer before reading further.
Q1.What was Behrman's 'masterpiece' in The Last Leaf?
Kaveri pairs this unit with a famous short story: The Last Leaf by O. Henry. Winds of Change showed art as a fading craft. The Last Leaf shows art doing something a machine never could — saving a life. Together they ask: what is art really for?
A sick young artist believes she will die when the last ivy leaf falls. An old painter saves her — with a secret masterpiece.
"Mr Behrman died of pneumonia this morning. He was ill for only two days." "The first day the janitor found him on his bed. His clothes and shoes were wet and he was shivering." "He had been out in that stormy night." Then they found a ladder and a lantern still lighted lying near his bed. There were also some brushes and green and yellow paints on the floor near the ladder. "Johnsy dear," said Sue, "look out of the window. Look at that ivy leaf. Haven't you wondered why it doesn't when the wind blows?" "That's Behrman's . He painted it the night the last leaf fell."
Put the three texts of this unit together: the pankha article (a craft fading from use), The Last Leaf (a painting that saves a life), and the poem you're about to read, Canvas of Soil (a garden as a work of art). What single question are all three circling — and what different answer does each give about what art and craft are for?
Take a moment to form your answer before reading further.
Q1.What was Behrman's 'masterpiece' in The Last Leaf?