'Girls by the Piano' by Renoir
I have been reading homework assignments from last year. The 8th graders did a really good job on writing stories/interpretations about different artworks. This story was inspired by the Impressionist painting 'Girls by the Piano' by Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
Written by T. P., 8/c of 2015/16.
'Once upon a time there was a rich girl. She had it all, her family had a lot of money, she was beautiful and smart. But why would all that even matter if there was nobody she could talk to?
In front of her parents she was not allowed to express her feelings. She got everything she needed as long as she behaved and sat still and didn't speak unless spoken to. Her parents had these certain expectations and rules they had set, and if she strayed from them she was seriously told off, sometimes even slightly hit.
The poor girl couldn't express her thoughts or feelings to anyone. She wasn't allowed to have fun, unlike the other children in her neighbourhood. She did not want to bother her tutor either. She thought that this would only result in getting told off by her parents, being shouted at, or even hit, once again. The only time she could loosen up a bit and let it all out was when she was all alone, when nobody could see her. Each time this happened, she sat by the piano and broke into tears.
She could play the piano well.There were no problems with her musical skills, she was just an average student. At least it seemed like it to the tutor. However, when the girl was alone, thinking of her sorrow, the music she improvised was so beautiful and melodic that it would warm every single person's heart in the world. The creations of the world's best composers were just a drop in the ocean compared to her improvisations. It was like those emotions that were bottled up inside her all along were finally released.
One day the tutor heard her play this way without the notice of the girl whose talen had never been shown to anyone before. She knocked on her door. The girl was shocked and stopped playing immediately as she quickly wiped her tears.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," said the tutor as she entered the room. The girl started crying again. She didn't have to say anything, the tutor understood her perfectly. "You had me quite surprised," the tutor hugged her while she tried to comfort the pitiful girl. "I have never heard you play like that before. This was the most amazing solo I have probably ever heard. Do you know that?"
These words filled the girl's heart with joy. She smiled for the first time in a while. She had never received a compliment like that before, nor had anybody ever expressed their appreciation towards her. From that moment on, she started practicing with enthusiasm, amotion and hope. She grew up to be one of the greatest composers in the world. Those few words meant the world to her.
It is funny how a few kind words can shape someone's destiny, isn't it?'