Magical Realism played a significant role in the research and production of my debut novel. With #MagicMondays, I will share all the artistic influences that inspired me throughout my creative process. Look for a new #MagicMondays post every week on my social media and right here on this very page!
*****
One of the things I love most about M. Night Shyamalan is that his work is difficult to categorize. Are his films Science Fiction or Horror or Fantasy or something else entirely? For me, I think of his work as Magical Realism because it’s not necessary to know the specifics of how the magic works. The magic in Shyamalan’s films highlight the emotional, special, and scary aspects unique to the human experience. The Village isn’t really a story about monsters in a dark wood, but about being unable to escape grief, even when you leave one world and create a new one. Unbreakable isn’t so much a superhero origin story as it is a tale about a dad who wants to be something more than average and then finds out that he is. Signs isn’t about an alien invasion. It is about the power of faith and how a man’s faith can be restored, not by an organization like The Church, but by loving and trusting in his own family. M. Night Shyamalan is a storyteller at heart with an unparalleled connection to the human spirit.
*****
The second album by Florence + The Machine, Ceremonials, just might be the rare “perfect album.” Released in 2011, the album has a sound that transcends musical trends which is probably why several tracks are still in rotation in 2023. Each and every song on this album could stand on its own as a literary poem. The magic of Florence Welch is that she uses her witchcraft to conjure the power of an orchestra and her unparalleled vocal abilities to send her words flying to the heavens.
*****
I love the idea that an urban legend could be inspired by something very real. What I love even more is that the urban legend in question-the Candyman-is rooted in the historical fibers of our country. An examination of racism, gentrification, and the complexities and contradictions of the art world, director Nia DaCosta tells a story that is full of nuance and deep psychological pain. The film is a stunning work of art in its own right and the violence and gore only add to the deep emotional impact of the characters who must survive an urban legend reborn.
*****
Frida Kahlo suffered multiple traumas throughout her life and still found a way to create honest, visceral, and emotional works of art that defy categorization. Often referred to as a Surrealist, Frida rejected the idea that her work could be labeled. She famously said, “They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn’t. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.” Frida knew that her reality could only be explained through fantastic images, so she made herself utterly vulnerable, frequently depicting experiences that humans, especially women, are taught to keep quiet. It is this dedication to a true, authentic human experience-complete with all its highs, lows and everything in between-that makes Frida Kahlo a beloved artist and inspiration to all, especially me.
*****
It would be a shock to no one to learn that myths, legends, and fairy tales were created to provide valuable life lessons and powerful warnings. Even Jesus used parables almost exclusively to instruct his followers on his philosophies and tenets. Some of the stories passed on to us from our ancestors seem outdated or antiquated, especially for our technologically advanced times. This makes me wonder if we have misinterpreted a few of those stories over time. Women Who Run with the Wolves examines multiple stories from a variety of cultures and suggests some enlightening interpretations. Women have long been the storytellers, historians and archivists of the tribe and their words are intended to educate us and arm us with the knowledge we need to survive this life. This book gave me a whole new perspective on the stories of old and how they just might be eternal stories that are even more relevant today.
*****
DEVS is an 8-episode series written and directed by Alex Garland that originally aired on FX the spring of 2020. On the surface, DEVS may seem like a run-of-the-mill story about a mysterious technology billionaire with a secret department within his company accessible to only a handful of people. As the layers are peeled back, we discover that DEVS uses the phrase “the ghost in the machine” to explore how far someone might go to restore something they’ve lost. DEVS is currently streaming on Hulu.
*****
Tori Amos changed my life. The first time I heard her music, I realized that I would never be alone in the world because Tori Amos existed. Tori writes and sings about all the things women are not supposed to talk about and she does it unapologetically. Vulnerability rings out of every note and every word lives and breathes authenticity. Her songs not only tell her story, but the stories of millions of humans who feel different, unusual, and other. By telling her story of surviving sexual assault, an overbearing religious upbringing, and the pressures of creativity, I feel like maybe I can overcome those things, too. Through her most recent album, Ocean to Ocean, I felt as though Tori was reaching across the Atlantic to save me from drowning yet again.
*****
The events of the film Sorry to Bother You take place in an alternate Oakland, CA, but that’s all you should know before watching this impeccable piece of art. Writer and director Boots Riley tells the story of Cassius Green, played expertly by LaKeith Stanfield, who wants to succeed at his telemarketing job. Magical Realism takes that simple premise to new heights and results in an exceptional piece of art that explores racism, art vs. corporations, greed, capitalism, and workforce hierarchy that keeps some people at the bottom while lifting others to the top.
*****
When this book was released back in 2013, I read it straight through without stopping. When I finished, I waited a few days and read it again. I re-read the book in 2023, a decade later, and was once again moved by the story. I think that says a lot about the power of storytelling and how an exceptional writer, like Neil Gaiman, can create a work that can be revisited countless times and still offer a fresh take upon every reading. I think this is also a testament to the timeless nature of stories themselves because no matter when in life a story finds you, it can still make its mark, even if you’ve read it a hundred times.
*****
WandaVision is an exploration of love, loss, the importance of family, grief and coping with childhood trauma and PTSD all wrapped in the shiny and computer-generated packaging of a superhero TV series. It is my favorite of all the MCU series released on Disney+ and it is the most visceral and honest depiction of what it feels like when you decide to take a break from the emotional pain and turmoil of the “real world” for a bit. Wanda Maximoff uses the TV family sitcom trope to show us, the viewers, just how much her heart is hurting. Wanda’s vulnerability makes this series more than a mere superhero story. Through the myth of the perfect American TV family, WandaVision tells a story that resonates at the deepest levels of our collective humanity.
*****
Alex Garland once again creates a piece of art that is visceral, vulnerable, and emotionally challenging. It’s also incredibly beautiful to watch-even some of the more disturbing scenes. One of the things I love about Alex Garland’s storytelling technique is that he doesn’t tell his audience what to think. He tells a story that has some proverbial “wiggle room” to its meaning and this allows the viewer to inject their own subjectivity to the story’s intent. This makes the viewer an active participant in the storytelling process and can make the entire experience more personal for those involved.
*****
Hilma af Klint was an artist and medium who ventured into the world of abstract art at least 6 years before the likes of Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian and Kazimir Malevich, the so-called “fathers of abstraction.” Hilma was a Spiritualist who communicated with the dead and with Higher Beings. Sometimes the Higher Beings told Hilma what to paint as a way of sending messages to humans from another plane of existence. Hilma worked in secret because she knew the world was not ready for her work and when she died, she left her nephew 1200+ paintings and works on paper and 26,000 pages of writing explaining the deep, philosophical meanings behind her work. Of course, this inheritance came with a stipulation-that none of her work ever be shown to the public until 20 years after her death. Hilma af Klint died in 1944, but her work was not exhibited in a public setting until the 1980’s.
*****
I’ve been a fan of Florence + The Machine for a while, but her most recent release, Dance Fever, hit me in a way I was not expecting. There is a magical darkness that permeates the songs on this album, even the more upbeat tracks like My Love and Free. It’s the honesty of creating art amid a troubling time followed by recording an album during a global pandemic that strikes me right in the feels. There is also, for lack of a better word, a witchy feel to the album that I really connected with. I believe that the act of creating is akin to the concept of conjuring. As an artist (and a human) I’ve been thinking about what it means to create art (and a life) that is authentic. What drives this witchy point home is the incredible photography and film work of Autumn de Wilde used to promote the album and create videos of some of the songs. Using a limited color palette and stark scenery to maximum effect, de Wilde envisions a world in which Florence Welch not only floats through life (literally), but also commands the attention of all those around her. She is the artist, the creator and the conjuror all rolled into one magnificent being.
*****
Imagine being bequeathed a loved one’s lifetime of journals. What might you find in the pages of those books? Perhaps you might uncover some surprising insights or a secret or two. What if you opened those journals only to find the pages blank? Every single page of a lifetime’s worth of journals completely unmarked with no words or eraser marks or things scribbled out. Would this stark revelation change how you viewed the person who owned the journals and gifted them to you after their passing? Writer Terry Tempest Williams finds herself in that exact situation and what she learns from that experience is incredibly thought-provoking and inspiring.
*****
Jordan Peele is more than an Oscar-winning screenwriter and director. Peele is an exceptional storyteller and artist who speaks to my heart, both creatively and emotionally. Peele’s brand of Magical Realism highlights the injustices of racism, the power struggles of the haves vs. the have-nots and society’s obsession with spectacle and fame. Peele’s use of symbolism and color theory perpetually fascinate the art historian in me and the fact that he throws everything into the proverbial creative pot, holding nothing back, is bold, courageous and what gives his stories that extra bite.
The Wandering Art Historian 
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