The following article appeared in the British medical journal,
The
Lancet, July 27, 2002: Finding
a Refuge
An
artist's residency at a Costa Rican artists' colony
story and painting by Fred Bendheim
One purpose of art is to serve as a refuge from the world and offer
beauty and meaning in what at times seems an unfeeling, violent
world. And even artists can use a refuge from their daily lives.
From the Franciscan artists of the Italian Renaissance to Paul
Gauguin, there has been a tradition of artists seeking refuge
from the dominant culture, to other, more inspirational places.
Earlier
this year I spent a month at The Julia and David White Artists'
Colony in Costa Rica. The colony, which was established in 1998,
is situated on 17 acres of tropical countryside, outside of Costa
Rica's capital, San Jose. It attracts artists, writers, and composers
from all over the world and can accommodate up to five colonists
at a time. The colony was founded by William L White, a clinical
psychologist who founded the colony in memory of his children,
David and Julia, who were both gifted artists and died tragically
as young adults. White is that rare combination of scientist and
benefactor of the arts. His purpose for starting the colony was
to create the opportunity for artists to explore their visions
without the pressures encountered in their normal lives. He is
an eloquent spokesman for the secular liberal arts, and is equally
at home discussing clinical psychology or architecture. He believes
"that today more than ever society needs cultural visionaries
and innovators to remind us all of our common humanity".
Conversations with him were a highlight of my residency.
I
used my time at the colony to paint a series of abstract images.
The experience enriched my creativity, and also acted as a powerful
reminder that life is a process. No matter what your routine,
it is sometimes good to change it in order to see it all the more
clearly.
