I read a lot about famous people and how they died. Or just what diseases they had. I started with actors and writers, but now I’m down to congressmen. Painters, too, I read a lot about, but only because my brother has so many books about them. (Is it “has” or “had”? The brother is gone, but the books are still here.) My brother loved painters, paintings. Me, I don’t really know what to do with a painting, how long I’m supposed to look at it. I prefer movies. Before I watch a movie, I check how long it will last.
My brother was always going to die young (he had cystic fibrosis), but still he thought maybe he’d last long enough to study art history at the Sorbonne, and then…
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The New Yorker (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 28, 2021