Living Art

This is the legend of a beautiful Maiden that had the power to bring her art to life



Hundreds of years ago there once lived a beautiful Maiden. She was thought to be the most talented artist of her generation. Many traveled far and wide just to get a glimpse at her work. But many more paid her greatly to paint for them. She smiled to her visitors and was more then happy to paint. She enjoyed painting landscapes or even painting still life. Anything she could imagine she would paint. Then once word of her talent spread, even those who thought nothing in life could bring them beautiful came to see her works. Each was touched and feel to their knees in tears. They were so moved by her that each begged her to be their wife. The maiden only smiled and politely refused them. She was happy where she was and only wished to paint. Then when it seemed the last of her would be suitors had gone, on old man remained. This man was frail and lived well beyond his years. But he came to visit her every day.



The old man never spoke, only watched her as each paint stroke hit the canvas. She saw in his old eyes that it moved him to silence. That he never wanted to utter a word, unless it would break her concentration and cause her to make a mistake. This continued for a good few years until one afternoon the old man never showed up. The maiden felt sad and realized that the old man came to be a part of her life. A friend she relied on. her heart ached for his company. After that her art began to diminish. People began to visit her less and less. Then the maiden stopped her painting and cried for her missing friend.



Little did she know that she was being watched. And those watching were moved by her tears just as her paintings had moved so many hearts. The next day came a visitor. He came to the Maiden asking for a painting to be made for him. He was a young man and considered very handsome. He smiled to her though she did not return it. She agreed to paint for the man. But the man declared there was a condition to her painting for him. The condition was that she would never paint the painting when he was unable to watch.



She agreed to the term and began her work. The first day she painted for an hour before the man had to leave. He returned to her early the next morning where then she picked up her brush and began to paint once more. The young man watched her and said not a word. He only smiled and kept close to her. The Maiden ended her painting the second day after painting for 8 hours. The young man smiled to her and left, only to return the same time the next morning. The third day she painted 4 hours. The next 6. Then the final day was 30 minutes. Each day the young man arrived the same time and said nothing but smiled to her and watched her paint.



Once the painting was done the Maiden was back at her great skill. The painting moved the young man's heart and he thanked her greatly. She feared that this would end in him leaving and never returning. But before she could say anything, the young man smiled and asked her to paint for him again. But this time he wanted her to paint nothing she saw with her eyes. He wanted her to paint while looking through her heart. But the maiden would only agree under one condition. That she only paint if he came to watch her.



The young man agreed and went home that day. Through the whole night she tried to figure out what to paint. The man said to only paint what she saw through her heart. but the only way to do that was to just pick up a brush and paint. The man arrived right on time as he always did. The maiden was ready and began to paint. Her eyes were closed and she felt each brush stroke through her heart. She painted for 3 hours before the young man stopped her. She opened her eyes and looked at her painting. It was a mess of random lines and squiggles. She was horrified and wanted to destroy the mess. She felt ashamed for the young man seeing it.



She reached out, ready to destroy it, when the young man took her hand. He smiled at her as the sun began to set. He asked her to spend the night with him. He wanted to be with her and talk to her. He wanted to know the Maiden behind the paintings. The maiden looked from him to the painting and apologized for the bad artistry. The young man shook his head and asked her to continue with it the following day. But that night she was to spend her time with him. The maiden agreed and walked with him. He took her through the forest of which she lived and talked to her about anything he could think of. Finally he asked if she would like to hear a story. The maiden looked at him surprised and asked what brought this on.



The young man looked at her in the eyes and smiled, "Just as your art is through paintings. My art comes from words put in stories." he said. The Maiden returned his smile and waited for him to speak. The young man looked at the moon and began his story. He told of how the moon came to be as she was. She was a beautiful maiden whose presence made all smile.



Those around her would say that she glowed with an aura of peace and tranquility. The Moon was happy for their praise and would enjoy walking among them. Then one day a man confessed love for her. The moon smiled but told the man she was not the one she was waiting for. The man grew furious and struck at the moon. She was killed among the people who loved her. A priest who loved the moon came to her and prayed for her.



Her soul was lifted up by the prayers of the priest and those who loved her. She was put into the sky to forever glow on those who looked at her and loved her. Never forgotten through out time. The maiden smiled at the young man. She enjoyed the story and looked up to the moon. Quietly she thanked the moon for her light and prayed for her happiness. Together the young man and the maiden walked.



At one point during the night they ended up holding hands. The young man told her many other stories, some sad and some romantic. When the night ended the man went home and both woke up later then normal. But he arrived just as she wanted to paint. The man watched her as always not saying a word. The Maiden painted with her heart, not looking at the painting. She felt a pull at her heart that made her stokes sure and knowing. She smiled as she painted, feeling that it was almost done.



Once she was sure she put down her brush and looked away. She didn't want to look at the painting yet. The young man stood before her with a smile and a tear in his eyes. He told her how beautiful it was. The maiden smiled, glad her painting can move a heart to tears. She was going to look at her painting when the man stopped her. He looked at her and told her if she looked at her painting then she would never be able to see him again. The maiden looked at him surprised. How could he say such a thing? She spent so much time on it, she wanted to see. The man saw that she did and sighed. He confessed that he was the grandson of the man that visited her everyday.



She looked at him and smiled. She asked how he was though she knew the answer. The old man died some time ago and made him promise on his deathbed to visit her. The man confessed that when he saw her and her paintings she fell in love with her. But then he confessed once more. That he was not what he appeared to be. The Maiden was not able to understand what he meant. She asked and the man would only say that if she looked at the painting she would know him. And those that knew him could no longer see him. Still she was confused and she dared look at the painting. When she went to look at it she say that she drew a man who seemed to glow. A man that was not alive.



She thought that maybe it was a trick. That the man was hiding from her. She looked for him and asked for him. Finally she came to a house where the old man used to live. Those inside told her a story about the old man. That he once had a grandson who died not long ago. He became so full of grief that he began to imagine his grandson. He would say how much he grown and how strong he looks. But then before he died he seemed to get better. He went on walks and stayed out for hours at a time. The maiden smiled a moment but then became sad. She had fallen in love with the Young man. She returned home and took the painting with her. She would look at that painting and cry herself to sleep every night.



Though she could not see him the Young man watched her and was touched. He prayed to the moon who bound him for an exception to the rule of which he had to obey. The moon agreed for she heard the prayers for happiness the Maiden sent her and had grown fond of her.



The moon allowed him to possess the painting of himself. It would allow him to be with her without breaking the rules. Even if she saw him it would be her painting she saw, not the Young man. He did possess the painting but the love she poured into it cause the Young man the freedom to live through it. He was able to cause his painted body to come free of the painting at night and laid with her. She would sleep in his arms and cry in his arms without ever knowing the feelings of being held were real.



In time the Maiden grew old and Died.



The painting was put into a collection of her works, hung on display. It wasn't till later that the Painting was bought and hung in a INN Room to make it more lively that things become known. It was said any woman who slept in the room with the painting would feel herself being held and loved by the young man. He would protect her through the night and keep her comforted. Then the Maiden responsible for creating the painting became known as the one Who brought her art to life.



The painting of the young man was then called Living Art. For he lived and loved the maiden through her painting of him.