More than 50 years after her expiry , Sylvia Plath — the American writer , poet , and scholar who committed self-destruction in 1963 at the age of 30 — stay as relevant as ever . Scholarsdiscussthe author ’s work at academic conference , renown like Lena DunhamsparkTwitter dialogues about her seminal 1963 novelThe Bell Jar , and a fictional character in 2017’sSpider - Man : Homecomingeven wear a T - shirt emblazoned with Plath ’s range .
That ’s why Dorothy Moss , conservator of house painting and sculpture at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery , became cheer to co - engineer an exposition devoted to Plath ’s life and study — but with a twist : “ One Life : Sylvia Plath , ” which opened in June and run until May 20 , 2018 , focuses not on Plath ’s writing , but on her visual art .
The popular narrative of Plath ’s animation focuses on her literary genius , her genial illness , and her tumultuous marriage to English poet Ted Hughes . But the author ’s living — and talents — were far more complex , Moss tells Mental Floss . In fact , Plath , who attended Smith College in Northampton , Massachusetts , had originally mean to major in studio apartment nontextual matter .
“ I believe that once you know that she drew and paint and sketched invariably as a youngster , and realise that she rifle to college to John Major in art , you ’ll start learn how brilliant her descriptions are , and how beautifully she put visual images into words , ” says Moss , who co - curated “ One Life ” along with Karen Kukil , associate curator of rare books and manuscripts at Smith College . “ I was very curious in her interest in the ocular art , and how that translated into her writing , ” Moss says .
“ One Life ” features a selection of Plath ’s ego - portraits , collage , and drafting , culled from the Plath archives at Smith College , Indiana University ’s Lilly Library , and individual collections . Completed at various stage of her life-time , conjointly , they demonstrate a cleaning lady “ who ’s fill with joyfulness as much as she was filled with moment of dark , ” Moss says . “ She had a very howling , whimsical sense of humour . She also understood how to search the deepness of her fears and anxieties in writing and in images . ”
In addition to Plath ’s nontextual matter , the exhibition also let in letter , manuscripts , photos , and personal item like the source ’s writing desk , which was construct by Hughes from a rocky - cut piece of elm wood ; her puerility ponytail , lopped off by Plath ’s mother when she was 13 years old ; and her typewriter , “ as a reminder of the way that writing was a physical process , " Moss explains . Together , they provide a nuanced view of an generator who ’s commonly viewed as a darkness , brooding cerebral .
Perhaps best exemplified byThe Bell Jar ’s famous fig tree enactment — in which quality Esther Greenwood compare her many prospective future to the tree ’s offset — Plath ’s work is often preoccupied with themes of ego - identity element . Her letters and journals are characterized by her exploit to “ synthesize the various parts of herself , ” Moss says , as is her art .
Contrary to democratic belief , these share are n’t necessarily tragical : “ I really wanted her life to be seen as full , and not to be dominate either by her tragic death or her wedding to Ted Hughes , ” Moss says . " She was much more than that . "
