"Portrait of Dominique Francon, inspired by a photo of Greta Garbo"
(collage painting on cardboard, 15X25, 2009)
"I do not grant my love without reason, nor to any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I honor men with my love. But honor is a thing to be earned."
Ayn Rand
"Love is the expression of one's values, the greatest reward you can earn for the moral qualities you have achieved in your character and person, the emotional price paid by one man for the joy he receives from the virtues of another."
Ayn Rand
Just as many other people I often visualize literary characters whenever I’m reading. However, I had somewhat of a problem visualizing Dominique Francon, a character from Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead”. I think it happened because I found her extremely annoying.
While I had no problem identifying myself with Howard Roark, a young architect who believed in his talent and stood by his principles, I found Dominique to be a quintessential attractive female: somebody who creates a lot of melodrama where there should be none. I also got annoyed with Rand for placing Dominique in her book on the first place. As I was reading I kept on wondering what type of idiotic behavior would Dominique come up with in the next chapter. I kept on thinking that women like Dominique are the reason why so many men are suspicious of attractive women.
I finished the book and a few weeks later, as I was analizing yet again my own life, I realized that on the scale of irrational behavior Dominique Francon is just a dilettante in comparison to yours truly.
