The house sits at the foot of a spring-green mountain, painted over with long cascading strokes of darker green, giving the impression of a verdant and peaceful setting. Contrast this to the brown ridge where the figure is sitting, huddled in a long sleeve jacket, hands tucked into pockets. The ridge is barren except for a single tree that is mostly bare branches with sparse pale-pink leaves.

Matthew Wong was a rising young painter who died of suicide on October 2, 2019. In a moving obituary by the New York Times, his mother explained that Mr. Wong “was on the autism spectrum, had Tourette’s syndrome and had grappled with depression since childhood.” This helps to explain the sense of isolation and longing in the painting, depicted by the solitary figure on a barren ridge, looking back at a house in lush green surroundings. The figure also appears to be physically cold, wrapped in long sleeve coat, hands tucked in pockets, with no skin showing, but is sadly separated from shelter by an icy white distance. This dynamic, amidst a landscape of majestic mountain rising into star-crowded sky, gives a sense of melancholy beauty and loneliness.

The title of the painting, “See you on the Other Side,” can be interpreted in numerous ways. Mr. Wong is known for incorporating mythical elements into his work, so is this the beginning of the hero’s journey? If the tree in the foreground is interpreted as being laden with pale pink flower buds, there is a sense of hope and promise that the figure is leaving home and will return triumphant on the other side. But the tree can also be seen as a representation of fall transitioning into winter, hanging onto a few withered leaves, as the last bright red autumnal leaf blows away. Is the figure heading away from the verdant house and mountain into winter, the season that classically symbolizes death? Does the other side refer to an afterlife? A third interpretation to consider is that the figure is not leaving the house, but actually trying to get there. In this case, on the other side would refer to crossing the vast white expanse where no path is marked and no help is in sight.

View the painting at Museum of Fine Arts Boston ➔

Matthew Wong’s Biography: www.matthewwongfoundation.org/biography
A previous version of this review was published in the NYU Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database.
Web image from www.matthewwongfoundation.org/

Rumor is a major source of vaccine rejection. The author discusses in detail the case of Andrew Wakefield and his contention that MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine causes autism. This belief, based on a 1998 paper in The Lancet (later retracted) has been shown to be false by numerous large-scale studies, but is accepted by perhaps millions of people throughout the world.    

In Stuck, Dr. Larson makes a strong case that vaccine hesitancy and rejection are widespread and growing global problems. The book is much weaker in proposing effective solutions. It’s clear that simple solutions, based on the premise that resistance will fade away as soon as public health agencies “educate” people, have failed.  Dr. Larson recommends listening more carefully to antivaxxers’ concerns and developing creative pro-vaccine messaging. Since the publication of her book, the massive initiative to vaccinate the American population against Covid has confirmed the extent and multiplicity of antivaccine beliefs in our society. It has also led public health agencies to develop more sensitive and engaging messaging than in the past. Nonetheless, the core problem remains.  

Stuck
Heidi J. Larson 
Oxford University Press, New York, 2020:  155 pages. 
A previous version of this review was published in the NYU Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database.
Web image by Medhum.org