This is sort of an interesting (and maybe a bit unsettling!) card when it comes up, isn’t it? It was surprising even to me that this flower led me to the theme of ‘sorrow’.  

I was visiting my parents, always on the lookout for flowers to add to my list to draw for my 100 day project, and this was one of the plants growing on their window sill.  When I asked what it was called, my mom said it was the impatiens and she specifically had a memory of using the plant to dye her nails when she was growing up (apparently this is a thing in Korea!). 

When I looked up information about the flower when I got home, I saw that it was also called the ‘touch me not’.  And I immediately connected this flower to the word sorrow based on one of my favorites works of art called ‘Noli me tangere’ by Fra Angelico, an early Renaissance monk and painter.

‘Noli me tangere’ is Latin for “touch me not” or “do not hold onto me”. The term is known as the words Jesus said to Mary Magdalene when she tried to embrace him before he ascended into heaven. His gesture along with the words symbolizes how she must learn to let go of any attachment to his physical existence, and trust in their spiritual connection as he is resurrected. That moment is one of the most powerful moments in art history for me because I feel it captures the essence of sorrow. The pain of having to let go and take a leap of faith that we are still connected beyond our physical connections. 

This was also a moment that I was reminded that there cannot be great sorrow without great love. I’ve come to learn that it is not a weakness or curse to feel sorrow, it is just another form of love - though there really is nothing you can say or do to reduce the grief you feel when it strikes.

I then realized the connection to other works of art including Picasso’s La Vie and Cezanne’s The Magdalen (also called Sorrow).  The message I get from these paintings is that sorrow is part of the experience to be human and to love. Sorrow is the ultimate reminder of our ability to deeply love.