Wednesday 4 August 2010

Where is and what is the homeland? - Dov'é e che cos'é la patria?

Some years ago I saw a documentary entitled: "Where is your homeland?".It was a long interview with some older people in nursing homes in Vienna. Most of these people were jews originally from Austria's neighboring countries and were imprisoned in concentration camps. In this interview they were asked where they consider their homeland. I remember being struck by the response of an elderly woman's original czech republic,deported here in AustriaShe said: "My homeland is where I have my bed". A response mixed with bitterness, sadness, resignation, gratitude. Where is and what is the homeland?

This thought, as a foreigner, has returned and recurring in my mind, I often wonder: what and where is my homeland?


Painting: Laura Tedeschi









Tempo fa ho assistito alla presentazione di un documentario intitolato: "Dov'é la tua patria?". Era una lunga intervista a persone anziane in alcune case di riposo viennesi.
Per la maggior parte queste persone erano originarie delle nazioni confinanti con l'Austria e durante la loro gioventú erano state prigioniere nei campi di concentramento nazisti.
Veniva chiesto loro dove e cosa fosse la "patria". Ricordo che fui colpita dalla risposta di un anziana signora originaria della repubblica ceca, deportata qui, lei disse: "la mia patria é dove ho il letto". Un espressione mista ad amarezza, riconoscenza, realismo, stanchezza.
 Dov'é e cos'é la "patria"? 
Questo pensiero, come straniera, é ricorrente nella mia mente, spesso mi chiedo: dov'é la mia patria?














43 comments:

Aleks said...

Home is where my heart is.
Homeland? Have no homeland! Gone with the wind!
Im a Nomad who's wagon's wheals are broken,stuck in a concrete jungle!

Beautiful photo Laura,is it you? You are not only great artist but very beautiful too!
Kisses and hugs from me!
Aleksandra! :)

Romantik Seelchen said...

liebe Laura, ist es ein Ort? ein Gefühl? Das Wort Heimat vielleicht eine Beziehung zwischen Menschen und Raum, vielleicht ist Heimat dort, wo wir uns wohl gefühlt haben, wo unsere Kindheit war, da wo wir hergekommen sind... wo wir später sind, müssen wir eine neue Heimat finden, es kann nicht die Heimat von früher sein und werden...

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

ALeks!
Thank you my dear :-)
you are right about have no homeland, yes really right!

... I change the picture... this paint seem to me better fot this post, anyway thank you :-)

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

jasmin

ja Jasmin, Ich glaube fest du hast recht, es kann nicht sein der ort von früher... naturlich die meistens gute erinnerung habe ich von meine kindheit am berge in Italien mit meine eltern.. aber Ich weiss es dass Ich habe diese ort auch gehasst nacher... also es ist so kompliziert...

Danke Jasmin, Ich bin so froh dass habe gefunden hier ins internet!

Carla, i colori...pensieri della mia mente. said...

già..dove è la nostra Patria..personalmente la disconosco un poco in questo periodo...ciaooo Laura..bacione

Victor Errington said...

Hi Laura.
Please don`t worry too much about where your Homeland is, just keep producing the brilliant paintings that you do. Your Homeland is where you paint. All the best Laura.
Vic.

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

---Carla
:-) capisco a cosa ti riferisci, a parte la politica, il discorso sulla patria é molto complicato...
io cerco di non perdere le mie radici e poi credo di essere cittadina del mondo :-)


---Victor Errington
hehehe Victor, thank you very much... I'm glad about your words,
sometimes came a moment in them we need help, and maybe uor homeland is where we recived this help.. I don't know..

thank you for comming Victor

Manel said...

Mi hogar está donde más a gusto me siento. Por ejemplo, mientras pinto. Bonita obra, Laura. Esos ojos parecen los tuyos. Un fan tuyo.
Manel.

Brian Sylvester said...

Laura,

That's a good question - I guess I would have to say that my homeland is planet earth, as I hold no particular allegiance to any country. It's whereever you are happy, and that can be external or internal. I know what it feels like to be a stranger in a strange land, as I have moved many, many times. It gets better with time.

Lovely painting too!

Take care,
Brian

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

---Manel
estoy de aquerdo Manel, yo tambien penso siempre que onde tengo un lugar para pintar puedo esser feliz...
te comprendo mui bien querido amigo
gracias por el apreciamento al quadro! es un autoretrato

Dan Gliubizzi said...

Interesting and complex. I would not always want to be from the place I grew up! I want to grow and feel part of the world, but there is something to be said for feeling immediately understood. For familiar food and music

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

Inkpunk Artworks

Hi my dear! I have much allegiance to many places, but when I live I suffered not so much, because I know that, where I go, I will find somthings new... at the same time I always malinconish, but happy to be in an other places, I think that I miss simply the time where I was a child

Thank you for comming, I'm always happy to see you

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

Dan Gliubizzi

... yes is a complicated I know, but I think is important for us to not be in always in the place we are groun up, you are right, is to small for a life long

Dr Mortensen said...

Me gustó mucho la pintura. Felicitaciones.
I like so much the paint. Congratulations.

Home is in your brain.(?)
El cerebro proyecta imágenes y nos hace creer que vivimos esta realidad.
We are in the celular system of an alien-god(or an alien-dog).

I don´t have to smoke in the morning. Sorry.

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

Dr Mortensen

:-) me gusta tu comentario
gracias por venir

Anthony Duce said...

Great painting and I enjoyed the words. My homeland is in my dreams, where I was or think I would be happiest. I'm at home now, but only because I'm pretty happy where I am at the moment. It may change.
Thanks

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

Anthony Duce

dear Anthony, I'm glad you are happy now where you are :-) I understand you very well...

thank you for comming

Woman in a Window said...

I have this question, too, and I am happy that I have no easy answer.

This woman you write about who shared, she can teach us a great deal if we care to listen.

(Thank you for coming my way. I have seen your tenderness around and your creative spirit. I will pleased to get to know you.)

xo
erin

Unknown said...

Tu Patria está dentro de tí. Va contigo a todas partes.Sin ataduras,sin fronteras,sin prejuicios.
Tu rostro, expresa tristeza, en este retrato.Mañana volverá a brillar el sol.

olivia said...

I think that painting is your homeland Laura...Bises.

Cris said...

Una pregunta simples pero de difícil contestación.
Un trabajo magnifico!!!

Besitos, Laura!

Andrew Finnie said...

That's a haunting thought Laura. I often wonder where I will be buried. In Australia the local aborginal people have their 'dreaming' which is their association with the world and their earth and their culture. They have been here for 40,ooo years. My family has been here for about 200.

Where is my homeland Ireland, scotland wales, places I have never been.

In another 40000 years it could be Oz.

Denise SCARAMAI said...

Laura, questa è una domanda molto ampia!
nel mio caso, tutti i miei nonni provenivano da Italia in Brasile, è stato cresciuto ed educato in seguito la cultura italiana in un paese tropicale, in Sao Paulo - grande città che ospita un vero e proprio mix di nazionalità!
Ho già fatto questa domanda e non ho ricevuto risposta ...
Mi sento straniero a casa.
Penso che tutti noi passare attraverso sentimenti come questo; stato così e sempre lo sarà sempre di più ... il pianeta è un caos generale ...
semplificare il problema, è meglio pensare che la patria è la nostra casa, in cui ci identifichiamo.
Penso di sì perché non ho mai vissuto fuori del mio paese o lontano da i miei parenti ...
Io non so come mi sentirei una situazione diversa ...

questo è un belíssimo dipinto con questa domanda si sta muovendo troppo! ...

forse un giorno ci saranno solo i cittadini del pianeta Terra...

abbraccio cara

Earthula said...

What a great image!
How many languages do you do!?
Amazing... you are at home on Earth, yes?

bisous!

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

Woman in a Window

such a wonderfull words you say.. thank you very much, I#m glad to have meet you

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

---MAITE RUBERT
gracias, es verdade... cadauno tiene la patria adentro de se mismo... tiene razon


---Crissant
gracias lindissima amiga :-)


---Andrew Finnie
Andrew. I like a lot what you have said, yes I can understant you very well, and I like that you have me remaind an Oz, yes in yours works is much of the world of Oz.. fantastic!
I love your response
thank you

Pete said...

Lovely portrait, Laura. full of feeling of looking inside.

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

Denise Scaramai

Denise carissima,
ti capisco benissimo e conosco molto bene l'emigrazione italiana in Brasile, e é tutto molto commovente, come anche é affascinante che tu parli l'italiano, mangi magari ricette italiane...
io mi sono sempre commossa sapendo che un pezzo di veneto, (la regione dove sono cresciuta) é in Argentina, cosí lontano ma le stesse tradizioni, questo é affascinante e allo stesso tempo struggente per le persone.
Ora mi piaci ancora di piú cara amica.
Un abbraccio forte da una tua compaesana! :-)

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

Earthula

yes... we are at home on the pianer earth! :-) I love this tought

thank you

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

Peter Hobden

thank you! and thank you for comming, I#m really glad I estimate you so much, you know

ELE said...

Ciao Laura,
mi piace tutto ciò che è grafica ma di arte potrei dirti di essere solo una "capra". Ho ammirato con attenzione i tuoi dipinti e per quanto possa capirci poco, trovo tanto colore che è sinonimo di voglia di vivere.
Ti auguro una buona giornata e mi unisco ai lettori,
Fenice

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

Olivia

bien en arrière, Olivia, je suis ravi de vous voir!
ce que vous dites est très agréable, car vous savez que dans les maisons où il ya de nombreux tableaux que je me sens protégé et se sentir à la maison...

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

★Fenice★

carissima non serve essere esperta per sentire cosa dice il cuore :-)
le cose che vengono dal cuore sono le migliori critiche e danno le piú grandi soddisfazioni,

ti ringrazio molto

ferran said...

...Cuando se vive en un mundo deilusión,es bueno saber por qué puerta se volverá a la realidad...(Anónimo).
Felicidades por esta mravilla de blog estaré atento atus entradas.
Gracias por la visita.

Ferran

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

Ferran Garcia

gracias a vos!! :-)

Autumn Leaves said...

A bit unsettling to think on, yes? But a most glorious painting, Laura. I think I remember the photo for this one!

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

AutumnLeaves

... thank you my dear

marty said...

Ta peinture est magnifique - tu as beaucoup de talent !
je n'ai pas la notion de patrie !
je me sens bien partout ! Nous sommes tous locataires sur cette planète qui n'appartient à personne et qu'il faut partager !
bisous Laura - in my home you are at home !!!

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

marty

Merci vous êtes si bon...

Cristóbal García said...

Muy bueno tu trabajo.Te seguiré con interés.
Un abrazo desde Canarias.

nouvelles couleurs - vienna atelier said...

zorroplaya

gracias...

amalia said...

bellissimo ritratto, brava!

AK said...

Home is where the heart is. Lines are drawn only on the maps not on the earth. Lovely work. Keep going.