Book Review: Rosalba Torres Leal: The Santa of Roses

Reviewed by Chelsey Tucker

Humanity prevails, even during devastating life circumstances. 

Rosalba Torres Leal might be an 83-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s, but she’s got a talent that continues to blossom. As a painter, she creates beautiful scenes that encapsulate so much about the human experience. This book is about a dazzling talent that perseveres throughout the battle with memory loss.

Ten of Rosalba’s paintings are the centerpieces for this book. Megharief, an author who’s been acquainted with Rosalba for fifty years, dissects the beauty she puts on canvas to show us who the artist truly is. The paintings are nature scenes painted with vivid colors: “Her palette held colors unseen by mortal eyes–shades of longing, joy, and melancholy.” Rosalba’s artistic skill and expression bring the secrets of the painting to life over time with each new view.

Megharief also delves into legends and folklore that influenced and surround Rosalba’s works. This is a unique type of biography—there are artistic choices that demonstrate an understanding that couldn’t be achieved by just repeating facts about her life: “The artist painted it with reverence, knowing that sunsets fade, but their ache lingers.”

Some portions of this book feel short, choppy, and repetitive. But it feels rather intentional. Alzheimer’s causes those afflicted to see the world in a different, rapidly changing way. This also affects their loved ones whose interactions with them become more painful as memories fade away. Megharief does a beautiful job introducing the world to this talent.

A person is more than a set of dates or the labels that get slapped on them. Each person has a unique set of abilities and potential, regardless of disease, disability, or roadblock. This book highlights the power of art in the face of dissipating mental cognition. Each piece of Rosalba’s artwork starts but transforms into a living entity, “where time flowed like honey and shadows dance with moon beams.”

This book sends a wonderful message appropriate for all audiences—that we should practice tolerance and encouragement for those with diseases and disabilities, that they too can express themselves and still reach their full potential. 

Art lovers who enjoy a sneak peek into artists’ lives will fawn over the art and relish getting to know the person. It is a short, fast read that lets you explore the artistic expression and long-lasting memory of art by someone whose memory is fleeting.

Thank you for reading Chelsey Tucker’s book review of Rosalba Torres Leal: The Santa of Roses by Dokali (Duke) Megharief! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post Book Review: Rosalba Torres Leal: The Santa of Roses appeared first on Independent Book Review.