Have you heard of Maria van Oosterwijck? Because until I read this novel, I had not. I have now looked at her artwork and it is absolutely astonishing. This fictionalization of her life is told from the point of view of the young girl who becomes her maid and later her student and lover. The story is about art and artists. It is about relationships and how enmeshment can unravel us. It is about honoring our gifts and the price that women have had to pay over centuries to make their way in a world run by men. This book is lush and sometimes painful, beautifully written. I genuinely loved learning about the actual processes to make paint and how one would become trained to be a still life artist.
Some of the things that happened seem fantastical and a huge stretch, but when I looked up her biography, she really led an incredible life. So much of this story, though, is only about the relationship between Maria and Gerta - that's essentially the main story arc more than either of them being artists. There IS a secondary storyline that is only deeply traumatic so I would caution sensitive readers to just be aware that there are some really heavy things that happen in this book. I understand why they happened and they definitely impact Greta and how she sees herself but it will not be for everybody.
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