Revealing biography of Paarl artist
2008-10-30
THE biography of talented Paarl artist, Sara Michelle Redelinghuys van Dyk, “A Life Interrupted”, is a moving, but honest tribute written by her mother, Stephanie Redelinghuys. It has been published six years after Michelle’s tragic death in a car accident at the age of 39. Michelle’s talent was already recognised while she was at school at La Rochelle when one of her linoprints was published on the cover of the Santam Child Art Calendar. She obtained the highest marks for art at La Rochelle in her matric year and went on to study art at the University of Stellenbosch where she obtained an MA in Art. This was followed by further studies at De Hoogere Institut in Antwerpen. The book contains about 300 paintings by Michelle (dubbed Misjke while in Belgium) which reflect the magic of her talent, but also the gradual deterioration in her psyche due to bi-polar illness, followed by frequent institutionalisation. Her etchings and paintings are an expression of her swings from optimism and euphoria to anxiety and depression, eventually exacerbated by drugs and alcohol. The book is a testament to her wondrous talent which expresses the intensity of the suffering she experienced during her short life, due to her genetically inherited illness - the very illness which was also a stimulus for her creativity. She left copious journals and gave them to her mother, so that she could convey her agitation and despair, and her desperate desire to survive and be happy. The book is also an attempt by her mother to convey to those coping with family members with bi-polar disorder, what such people go through, and that they are unable to change their volatile behaviour voluntarily. Fate eventually released Michelle from the bipolar bondage which was destroying her. On 29 October 2002, on her way to school with her son, her car left the road, presuambly due to a burst front tyre, and capsized in a ditch, pinning her underneath. Her small son bore solitary witness to her death. The book is a thorough record of the abundant talent of Misjke, which gives startling insight into the burdens of bi-polar disorder and will hopefully contribute to a greater understanding of people who suffer from it. The book is available from the author 021-872-2762,
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