This is the third in a series of guest posts by my collectors. This post, made by Cynthia Passos, explores the meaning of the dominant lighthouse in Casco Bay, Maine: Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth. The author both owns this piece and has visited the lighthouse. She states an inspirational connection between her, me and my wife, and the lighthouse itself.
The text below is the English translation. You can find the original Portuguese below that.
English Version
Lighthouses enchant me, in general, for their symbology of light and direction: Illuminate the correct path, signal the safe haven, the solid ground. The Portland Lighthouse, portrayed by Greg more than once, enchants me even more, as it has a meaning beyond the obvious: Cape Elizabeth and its lighthouse, perhaps the oldest in the region, was one of the places we visited in 2019, on a trip to Maine, whose objective was precisely to find him and Nívea, his wife, and to get to know the place – somewhat remote for us – where they lived at the time: Bar Harbor.
To make sense, I have to explain that my friendship with Nívea goes back a long way. And that I have this mania for cultivating friendships that accompany me throughout life, even if in some more distant moments, the lines run parallel and meet just ahead, because we always change direction, just like the boats. We are guided, certainly, by a kind of lighthouse, subtle and imaginary.
And today I am fortunate enough to have the Portland Lighthouse shining in my home, nestled neatly among my family portraits.
Now, if the function of the Lighthouse is to show the way, let that path lead us precisely to what is important to us, be it affections or places.
I thank Greg for offering me, once again, the beauty of his painting, always full of meaning.
Portuguese Version
Faróis me encantam, de um modo geral, pela sua simbologia de luz e direção. Iluminar o caminho correto, sinalizar o porto seguro, a terra firme. O Farol de Portland, retratado pelo Greg mais de uma vez, me encanta ainda mais, por ter um significado além do óbvio: Cape Elizabeth e seu farol, talvez o mais antigo da região, foi um dos lugares que visitamos em 2019, em viagem ao Maine que tinha como objetivo justamente reencontrar ele e a Nívea, sua mulher, e conhecer o lugar – de certa forma remoto para nós – onde eles então viviam: Bar Harbor.
Para fazer sentido, tenho que explicar que minha amizade com a Nívea vem de longa data. E que eu tenho essa mania de cultivar amizades que me acompanham ao longo da vida, ainda que em alguns momentos mais distantes, as linhas correm paralelas e se encontram logo adiante, porque mudamos sempre de direção, tal como as embarcações. Somos guiadas, certamente, por uma espécie de farol, sutil e imaginário.
E hoje eu tenho a felicidade de ter o Farol de Portland brilhando na minha casa, bem situado entre os meus retratos de família.
Ora, se a função do Farol é mostrar o caminho, que esse caminho nos leve justamente àquilo que nos é importante, sejam os afetos ou os lugares.
Agradeço ao Greg por me brindar, mais uma vez, com a beleza de sua pintura sempre cheia de significados.