The Last Masterpiece: Joanna Behrman's The Bay Of Hope
The Last Masterpiece
After the trauma Joanna suffered with pneumonia in Greenwich Village, New York, she needed some time to rest. Joanna's roommate Sue continued to care for Joanna after the illness passed. Both Joanna and Sue lived in the top of a three-story brick apartment where they combated the start of winter with a lack of paint but no shortage of inspiration. Following her sickness, Joanna had much motivation, but little platform other than painting.
Greenwich Village had many artists searching for a living. One artist, an older man named Behrman, painted a leaf on a wall to help encourage Joanna to keep on living. Joanna gained a new perspective on life after Behrman died from the same illness she herself had almost fallen …show more content…
prey to. She wanted to create a masterpiece that would impact someone the same way Behrman's painting of a leaf impacted her. Joanna decided that she wanted to create a masterpiece herself. She decided on the Bay of Naples because of a family friend who had once described the gorgeous bay to her as a child. Joanna worked night and day to craft her masterpiece.
"The Bay of Hope," as Joanna had named it, looked almost as beautiful as the Bay of Naples itself. The vibrant green grass and blue crystal clear water of the painting seemed just like the real thing. Realistic indentations in the grey grass-topped mountains made Joanna appear like a veteran painter. Joanna had never seen the Bay of Naples, but it looked as if she had lived there her whole life. Behrman's death still gave Joanna a little guilt because she was the one he had painted in the storm for. She wanted to dedicate "The Bay of Hope" to Behrman's sacrifice for her.
Joanna liked to remain in privacy while she painted, so when she finally invited Sue to see her painting, Sue was amazed at her beautiful display of artistry. Suddenly, there was a knock on their door.
Both Joanna and Sue were surprised because they rarely got visitors. A woman knocked on their door and asked if this was Behrman's room. Sue and Joanna exchanged glances; who was this woman? This thirty year old woman introduced herself as Mary, the estranged daughter of Behrman. She asked where Behrman's room was, to which Joanna replied, "I can show you his room. We knew your father." Mary discovered that her father died and came to collect some of the valuables in his room. Miraculously, she knocked not on his or anyone else's door, but on Joanna's door. Joanna was shocked at this stroke of luck; she could give Mary the painting in honor of her
father.
Since Joanna didn't want to seem obtrusive, she offered to lead Mary to Behrman's room. They conversed while Joanna helped Mary load up some of Behrman's things. Joanna asked what Mary thought about art. Mary responded that when she was younger her father taught her how to paint. While the continued to talk on the subject, Joanna asked how the two became at odds. Mary replied that years ago she became ashamed of Behrman's failures as an artist and steadily drifted apart from him. Joanna told Mary the few things she knew about Behrman's pneumonia, exaggerating the pain even more to increase her respect for him. However, this ploy fell short.
Mary did not seem overly critical of her father. Instead, she spoke with longing for time she wished she had with him. Joanna told Mary that she could show her Behrman's finally masterpiece. While Joanna could think of no means to numb Mary's pain, she could show Mary the masterpiece Behrman had created outside of her window through the storm. Outside, a storm brewed, but this only gave Mary more appreciation for her father. Joanna pointed to the beautiful ivy vine, and the leaf which still hung on it. Mary was confused, she didn't see any masterpiece, just a leaf on a brick wall. Once Joanna had told her the story behind it, however, Mary understood the significance of that single leaf. She no longer saw her father as a failure, but a success. Now Joanna thought it was time to hand over "The Bay of Hope" to Mary. As they fled from the storm to Joanna and Sue's room, the rain stopped. Mary's mood seemed to lift as the storm did. When they finally reached the room on the third floor, Joanna showed her masterpiece to Mary.
After the trauma Joanna suffered with pneumonia in Greenwich Village, New York, she needed some time to rest. Joanna's roommate Sue continued to care for Joanna after the illness passed. Both Joanna and Sue lived in the top of a three-story brick apartment where they combated the start of winter with a lack of paint but no shortage of inspiration. Following her sickness, Joanna had much motivation, but little platform other than painting.
Greenwich Village had many artists searching for a living. One artist, an older man named Behrman, painted a leaf on a wall to help encourage Joanna to keep on living. Joanna gained a new perspective on life after Behrman died from the same illness she herself had almost fallen …show more content…
prey to. She wanted to create a masterpiece that would impact someone the same way Behrman's painting of a leaf impacted her. Joanna decided that she wanted to create a masterpiece herself. She decided on the Bay of Naples because of a family friend who had once described the gorgeous bay to her as a child. Joanna worked night and day to craft her masterpiece.
"The Bay of Hope," as Joanna had named it, looked almost as beautiful as the Bay of Naples itself. The vibrant green grass and blue crystal clear water of the painting seemed just like the real thing. Realistic indentations in the grey grass-topped mountains made Joanna appear like a veteran painter. Joanna had never seen the Bay of Naples, but it looked as if she had lived there her whole life. Behrman's death still gave Joanna a little guilt because she was the one he had painted in the storm for. She wanted to dedicate "The Bay of Hope" to Behrman's sacrifice for her.
Joanna liked to remain in privacy while she painted, so when she finally invited Sue to see her painting, Sue was amazed at her beautiful display of artistry. Suddenly, there was a knock on their door.
Both Joanna and Sue were surprised because they rarely got visitors. A woman knocked on their door and asked if this was Behrman's room. Sue and Joanna exchanged glances; who was this woman? This thirty year old woman introduced herself as Mary, the estranged daughter of Behrman. She asked where Behrman's room was, to which Joanna replied, "I can show you his room. We knew your father." Mary discovered that her father died and came to collect some of the valuables in his room. Miraculously, she knocked not on his or anyone else's door, but on Joanna's door. Joanna was shocked at this stroke of luck; she could give Mary the painting in honor of her
father.
Since Joanna didn't want to seem obtrusive, she offered to lead Mary to Behrman's room. They conversed while Joanna helped Mary load up some of Behrman's things. Joanna asked what Mary thought about art. Mary responded that when she was younger her father taught her how to paint. While the continued to talk on the subject, Joanna asked how the two became at odds. Mary replied that years ago she became ashamed of Behrman's failures as an artist and steadily drifted apart from him. Joanna told Mary the few things she knew about Behrman's pneumonia, exaggerating the pain even more to increase her respect for him. However, this ploy fell short.
Mary did not seem overly critical of her father. Instead, she spoke with longing for time she wished she had with him. Joanna told Mary that she could show her Behrman's finally masterpiece. While Joanna could think of no means to numb Mary's pain, she could show Mary the masterpiece Behrman had created outside of her window through the storm. Outside, a storm brewed, but this only gave Mary more appreciation for her father. Joanna pointed to the beautiful ivy vine, and the leaf which still hung on it. Mary was confused, she didn't see any masterpiece, just a leaf on a brick wall. Once Joanna had told her the story behind it, however, Mary understood the significance of that single leaf. She no longer saw her father as a failure, but a success. Now Joanna thought it was time to hand over "The Bay of Hope" to Mary. As they fled from the storm to Joanna and Sue's room, the rain stopped. Mary's mood seemed to lift as the storm did. When they finally reached the room on the third floor, Joanna showed her masterpiece to Mary.