The Gift of Art

During childhood, Pablo Neruda had an experience that he felt influenced his art and understanding of life.

He ventured into his backyard in Temuco and noticed a hole in the fence. When he looked through it, he saw a wild, unkept yard. A hand appeared from a boy his own age. When he came closer, a white sheep toy replaced the hand. He had never seen such a creature. Neruda raced into his house and brought out one of his treasures, a scented pine cone. He set it down in the same spot and left with the sheep.

Neruda never met the boy, or saw his hand again. He lost the lamb toy in a fire years later. He always retained the memory of the encounter and its simple symbolism. When he grabbed the faded toy, he  felt a truth about the longing for mutuality that impels one to make art.

Pablo Neruda said, "That exchange brought home to me for the first time a precious idea: that all of humanity is somehow together…. It won’t surprise you then that I attempted to give something resiny, earth like, and fragrant in exchange for human brotherhood. Just as I once left the pinecone by the fence, I have since left my words on the door of so many people who were unknown to me, people in prison, or hunted, or alone."


Consider your childhood experiences that inspired creativity. Recall the gift of art.