Poor Folk is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1846) that tells about love story through letters from Makar Alexeyevich Devushkin, a middle-aged man who works as a clerk in government office and Varenka Dobroselova (Varvara Alekseevna Dobroselova), a teenage orphaned. They are represented as poor people who live full of difficulties and poverty.
Devushkin is driven by his overwhelming and enthusiastic love for Varenka, sacrificing all his possessions to suffice the girl's necessity solely to make her happy. Of course, this sacrifice is a serious matter considering that he himself lives in destitution and even his actions cause him to plunge into debt.
In this story, one of Devushkin's prominent character is the sense of pure sentimental that is clearly visible in his letters. He is a very sensitive person to deal with the events in his daily life. He always expresses that his heart became a basis for his outlook and conducts. Furthermore, the nature of Devushkin's sentimental feeling, develops a sense of great love for varenka. The love which is based on empathy for Varenka's bleak past. Devushkin's love for varenka is manifested in his sacrifices both physically and mentally.
However, a deep but odd love that is tempestuous expressed only through correspondence, beautiful words written through ink on papers without any physical contact or even there is no encounter face to face at all, finally ends tragically! Varenka apparently accepts a marriage proposal from Mr. Bykov, a rich widower and the wealthy landowner and leaves Devushkin in a miserable broken heart.
This romance of Varenka and Devushkin plot drives my imagination to interpret it as modern Varenka. Of course, although it may be rare, this kind of romance still exists. The unique love without physical contact that tends to fulfill fantasies than the love relationships in reality are still very likely to occur.
In modern culture and digital age, the fulfillment of this thirst for fantasy finds its own way through new tools, media and devices. Long distance relationship (LDR) in cyberspace through social media is the answer. For some people, meeting and interacting in virtual world seems to be a representation of real interactions in the real world that involve overflowing and turbulent emotions. The melancholy and emotional love in the digital world has been completely controlled by the lively dance of our fingers and thumbs on the gadget screen.
It seems so modern, but at the same time can be absurd and even stupid. But the fact that the online world can be a mode for relationship, dating and even matchmaking is a reality. There are also success stories of this kind of modern relationship that end happily with marriages in the real world!
Back to the typical love of Devushkin and Varenka in the interpretation of the modern era, the relationship of correspondence in the past, is now represented by texting..., the most recent and more interactive through social media and video calls (fans of the Star Trek series in the past must have smiled, because they used devices like cellphones to communicate).
However, 'pseudo' love relationships and LDR in cyberspace can be the most complicated relationships in people's lives. Many end up with tragic frustrations and breakups. Gadgets have stolen people's happiness, wasted their time and suck them dry emotionally that left them in vain and suffering.
You can imagine that the commoners, modern Varenka and Devushkin in a relationship through facebook messenger, telegram or whatsapp ... they adore each other, pour out all their feelings, in the innocence and purity of ordinary people's love life. However, that is just a kind of idealism ..., vulgarly it can be said to be the fantasy of online love affair... Meanwhile, poverty and hardships are the fact of daily life.
And modern Devushkin can be considered more idealistic and committed to the principles of his feelings and thoughts (modern people will regard it as absurdity and even madness), who expects his love to be a requited love. Whereas modern Varenka which is less idealistic, is a typical of modern girl who is more pragmatic, realistic and tends to be materialistic. It's so easy to swing, she decides to go rather than having difficulties living in poverty and serving devushkin platonic love that is full of hopes and promises. So, it's better for her to turn off her cellular phone, replaces the simcard and deletes her social media accounts, then marries a rich old man in the real world!
To follow up on my interpretation of modern Varenka, I brushes on the canvas in my own perception, where the brunette Varenka is sitting alone in an outdoor cafe. I imagine, even though varenka is less idealistic, the memories of the turbulent virtual relationship with Devushkin remain firmly in the depth of her heart and mind. However, she actually admires and loves Devushkin. Moreover, perhaps in her current life she was unhappy (this speculation is based on Devushkin's last letter which is unclear directed to whom, but obviously contains complaints, disappointments and his belief that Varenka's life must have been unhappy because she chose to leave. As he writes in tragic words,” Your little heart will be so sad, so sick and cold....” ). Indeed, she has been freed from the hardships and poverty on one side ... But on the other side, she has lost true love.
In my painting, the bitten red apple symbolizes Varenka disgraced by Bykov, a greedy, rich old man. The yellow butterflies are flying freely to and fro, is the personification of the ordinary people's sincere love. Meanwhile, ferocious red butterfly is flying around fallen red rose, sprawl, starting to wither and broken is a personification of destroyer who ruins love relationships. The disturber who is selfish, rich and powerful against those who are sweet but fragile.
While far behind her, a happy family can be seen, faintly. That part is an opinion, that maybe she would be happier in life if she followed her conscience and love ....
Varenka
70 x 90 cm, Oil On Canvas
This property is available in NFT, please check out "MSoV": OpenSea
No comments:
Post a Comment