Meditative Story Derailed by beauty, by Kaywin Feldman
Jan 14, 2025
Kaywin Feldman, the first female Director of the National Gallery of Art, shares her extraordinary journey sparked by a captivating encounter with Giotto’s frescoes. She reflects on the transformative power of art and how it evokes empathy and shared humanity. Kaywin also reminisces about her childhood independence and love for creativity while exploring the intersection of mindfulness and curiosity, emphasizing how both art and self-discovery can profoundly impact our lives.
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First Day On An Archaeology Dig
- Kaywin Feldman describes joining an archaeology dig in central France and unearthing a late Iron Age foot on her first day.
- She paints the heat, volcanic soil, pickaxe handle, and communal evenings drinking wine in the medieval square that made the dig her utopia.
Solo Travel Reaches A Low Point
- Kaywin shares traveling alone across the former Roman Empire and facing dangerous, exhausting situations that left her raw and despondent.
- She details night trains crowded with soldiers, being directed to strangers' homes in Turkey, and an epic journey out of the country toward Venice.
Scrovegni Chapel Moment Of Awe
- Bleary and nearly penniless, Kaywin decides to visit the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua and is overwhelmed by Giotto's lapis-blue frescoes.
- She describes stillness, slowed breathing, crying at the emotionality of scenes like the Lamentation and Kiss of Judas that reignite her hope and love of art.