A low, thin rail separated
her from the hordes of pushing fans, more of an inviting seat than a barrier. They
breathed hot air and jabbed with pointed hands as they vied for front row. Then
their mouths formed little ‘ohs’ and they gazed adoringly at the face they had
only seen on postcards and television. But she was not fazed; she had been
doing this for years. She smiled her infamous smile, revealing nothing of
herself except the suggestion of a secret.
The sand sponged wall
behind her spread open like a blank canvas. People always commented on how
small she was in real life; I blamed that wall with all its height and width. She
looked vulnerable, pressed with her back against it. The security guards that
flanked her left and right leant with wan grins and tried to smother yawns.
Was she behind glass? I
couldn’t tell. Her face was so clear, hardly aged at all, and yet with all the
flashing and snapping going on around my head I wondered at her preservation.
Her sisters had not received
the same treatment. They were left out in the long halls, suffering the touch
of oily fingers and close up scrutiny. I’d been shocked. I had expected more respect
for them, a greater separation, not an up close and personal encounter. I had
held my breath around them, not wanting to release a single harmful molecule
onto their already cracking faces.
I reached the barrier
as those ahead of me grew bored and moved on. It pressed into the tops of my
legs as she drew me closer into her knowing stare. She seemed to look right at
me and I felt a connection form between us, stretched over hundreds of years. I
wanted to know who she was, how he had come to know her, what she had been
thinking as she sat and he painted. I was filled with a sudden sadness; she had
moved from the slow intimacy of the artist and his muse to the steals of impatient
cameras. I wondered how many of the pressing crowd actually stood in awe of her,
and how many were there only to take the bragging iconic shot to show friends
and family.
I am ashamed to say,
after removing the flash and apologising to Leonardo, that I took my own and
walked away.
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