Thelonius -Pannonica
By
Laura Davies
2022
©Laura Decorum
This painting is part of a series I have been creating over the past few months, I've been exploring the relationship between mastery of a craft and the point of which in an artist's personal life they seemingly have to break to then be able to create true mastery in their art.
This has led me down a rabbit warren of stories and history in the jazz movement to which i am particularly passionate about.
This painting depicts Thelonius Monk and Pannonica 'Nica' Rothchild. A story that to this day has moved me the most.
Thelonius Monks song 'Round Midnight' captivated Pannonica Rothchilde (a descendant from the Rothchilde Dynasty) so deeply she traveled across the globe to meet the pianist responsible for such beautiful spellbinding music. She became aware of the hardships faced by the black American composer and jazz musicians in that era so profoundly that she used her influence and money to help them to create the music now known as Bebop and assisting them with the support they needed in their personal lives in the bid to keep them from creating their art.
She is known as the Patron Saint of Bebop for the love and support she put into the artists she believed in and her home became a creative hub for the music she loved the most along with her 320 cats.
If you are aware of Jazz you will find over 20 tracks named after her by various artists in honor of her for the efforts love and support she gave to the music she loved the most.
Thelonius Monk suffered from profound mental and physical health difficulties and in the end died in her apartment aptly known as 'The Cat House' and was loved and supported by Pannonica for 28 years until he expired all from hearing a record he created 30 years previously.
True art really does have the ability to change lives.
So here is my rendition of that
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