This is the final installment of a three part series. (Here’s part one and two.) We’ve covered Imagination, Surprise, Art, and the need for Artists. It’s heartbreaking that we’ve wound up here.

retna at beyond the streets exhibit, los angeles | by @leorakatz

// related reading //

“Art is the soul of the people. One cannot look on visions like this without having visions of one’s own. Without visions, we are only ants, and our communities only ant hills.”

- ALINE BARNSDALL

“If sometimes our great artist have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate any true artist, makes him aware that our Nation falls short of its highest potential. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist…

But democratic society — in it, the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist is to remain true to himself and to let the chips fall where they may. In serving his vision of the truth, the artist best serves his nation.”

- JOHN F. KENNEDY

“Life is about exhilaration. We’re in constant search of it and we adhere and attach to those who provide it. We don’t want you to play to us, we want you to follow your own muse and shine so brightly that we can bask in your beacon.”

- BOB LEFSETZ

Anthony Bourdain | Miller Mobley, Hollywood Reporter

“As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life… and travel… leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks… on your body or on your heart… are beautiful.”

- ANTHONY BOURDAIN

// we’ve lost one of our great artists //

And when that happens — it hangs heavy in the air. It dulls the lights of the world.

Damn, Anthony Bourdain. Damn.

I woke up on Friday morning, took one look at the first notification on my phone, and gasped. I read it once then read it again — not believing it was real, struggling to comprehend, feeling so… sad.

My husband was still asleep next to me, his alarm an hour from sounding. And while I am usually very respectful of Sleep, I felt like I needed to wake him. It felt important to tell him. Strange that I knew and he didn’t.

I looked over at his calm, sleeping face, played out the next few minutes and thought — No. He’s lucky he doesn’t know this yet.

But he must have sensed my gaze because he woke that second anyway. My brain said: “don’t say anything, don’t say anything, don’t say a word…” as my mouth said: “…Anthony Bourdain died. He… it looks like he… commit suicide.”

What? No. NO!

That was millions of us on Friday morning, and it still is — five days later.

It’s no secret that Bourdain was popular, entertaining, and well-loved. But the outpouring of sadness around Bourdain’s death shows that he was so much more than just that.

Bourdain changed lives. He left a mark on this world. And the mark he left is magnificent.

Bourdain did something that so few do. He crossed the arbitrary lines that humankind seems compelled to create. The dividing lines that say you are this and I am that and this is right and that is wrong and DON’T YOU DARE blur the lines because we need our lines to prevail!

Nope. Bourdain didn’t even seem to see those lines.

So he crossed them all.

And as he flawlessly traveled across mediums and formats, through continents and countrysides, between humour and politics and kindness and connection — he scooped up so many of us, and brought us along for the ride.

In her piece in The New Yorker, Helen Rosner admirably maintains that Bourdain was the “best-known celebrity in America.”

And in hindsight, this feels true. I think partially because Bourdain did not exist in a box.

He was a chef to the foodies. A writer to the lover of words. A traveler to your friend who wants to see the world.

He was a reporter to your mom. A grey-haired celebrity to that teenage kid. A filmmaker to the dreamer who wants to make TV.

He was a hero to tiny restaurant owners. A friend to the little guy. And from what I’ve read in the past five days, a genuinely stand-up human.

Anthony Bourdain was everything we need from our great artists.

Rosner discusses “the intimacy that Bourdain cultivated with his fans,” attributing much of it to the fact that “[he] built his career on the telling of truth.”

Bourdain was someone with a point of view. A set of beliefs. Someone who could connect with people from all walks of life because he didn’t seem to see “all walks of life.” He just seemed to see… life.

The colours of the planet. The stories of humanity. The flavours of our cultures. He captured the smells, the sweat, the smiles and the sounds — because that is what he saw.

LIFE.

Bourdain opened us up to the good the bad and the absolutely hideous — paying equal tribute to tiny shacks and sweeping landscapes, bustling cities and single bites of food.

He noticed the beautiful intricacies of our world, sought them out, and put them on display for anyone to see.

“I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once.”

- ANTHONY BOURDAIN

Anthony Bourdain | Davis S. Holloway, CNN

Bourdain’s adventures had a restless energy — that vigour you sense in people who long to experience our world and try, somehow, to bring it closer together.

What a remarkable calling.

Whether it was his writings, his food, his shows, or his tweets, Bourdain left his fans feeling blissfuly inspired. He showed us that not only is there room for authenticity in this often fake world, but that honesty still rules.

It’s the genuine that stirs our souls.

Rest easy, Bourdain. You were one of our greats.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1–800–273–8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org.

// all done //

Thank you for following along on this three part series. I hope you found it interesting, entertaining, or something of the sorts. Your feedback, thoughts, and hellos are always welcome.

❤

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