On first glance this painting appears like a classic study of a lady alone with her thoughts. The title of the painting however makes me look again – and I am riveted. And I want to stay quietly with her awhile, allowing her to reveal herself.
This lady has been swept in on a gust of wind and finds herself alone and at rest. Whatever her situation, she is not entirely comfortable with it. The constrast between the the ethereal backdrop and her solid appearance strikes me. Could I say she has had serenity thrust upon her? Her all-too-solid head, the alert angle of her ear ever ready for an input, belie the apparent calm in her downward gaze. She is at a place of crossing – within and without. As I look closely at the shades of rose quartz and spring green I can see the figures of dancing sprites emerge from them. Are they the person within, calling to be released? Or they new energies come to woo her away from whatever weighs her down? What is serenity, I ask? A fleeting moment? An unending series of fleeting momenst, that like the proverbial cloud, you cannot catch and pin down?
The loose strands of her hair are fluttering with abandon, but her hair is held all-too-firmly on her head as if they were needed there to hold in her fly-away thoughts.
There is an air about her, of a handsome young prince, troubled by unaccustomed decisions.
The lady will appear again on canvas and tell us more about herself and her journey. And I will await that return.
I came back to add that towards the bottom left and at the center, near her strands of hair, there appear what look like written messages :) Code, I wonder? As I look a little longer I seem to see more of these :)
I think the above are insightful comments into the lady's story, and I'd just add a couple of observations (beyond the fact that words and paint seem to cooperate with deep understanding here). I am struck by the lady's posture as she seems to be covering herself in a way. I don't know if it's out of modesty or if she is trying to protect herself from her own self-discovery, or the discovery of others. It seems like a vulnerable posture overall--but maybe it is a meditative one instead.
In addition, I too am wondering about the messages which seem to be encoded in the ethereal background....
I think the lady is very comfortable in her own skin and that shows...I can detect a hint of shyness...perhaps an admirer or a lover is watching her. Maybe she woke up bathed in sunlight and her lover is right by her...whatever the story may be, it's a stunning painting...
4 comments:
On first glance this painting appears like a classic study of a lady alone with her thoughts. The title of the painting however makes me look again – and I am riveted. And I want to stay quietly with her awhile, allowing her to reveal herself.
This lady has been swept in on a gust of wind and finds herself alone and at rest. Whatever her situation, she is not entirely comfortable with it. The constrast between the the ethereal backdrop and her solid appearance strikes me. Could I say she has had serenity thrust upon her? Her all-too-solid head, the alert angle of her ear ever ready for an input, belie the apparent calm in her downward gaze. She is at a place of crossing – within and without.
As I look closely at the shades of rose quartz and spring green I can see the figures of dancing sprites emerge from them. Are they the person within, calling to be released? Or they new energies come to woo her away from whatever weighs her down?
What is serenity, I ask? A fleeting moment? An unending series of fleeting momenst, that like the proverbial cloud, you cannot catch and pin down?
The loose strands of her hair are fluttering with abandon, but her hair is held all-too-firmly on her head as if they were needed there to hold in her fly-away thoughts.
There is an air about her, of a handsome young prince, troubled by unaccustomed decisions.
The lady will appear again on canvas and tell us more about herself and her journey. And I will await that return.
I came back to add that towards the bottom left and at the center, near her strands of hair, there appear what look like written messages :)
Code, I wonder?
As I look a little longer I seem to see more of these :)
I think the above are insightful comments into the lady's story, and I'd just add a couple of observations (beyond the fact that words and paint seem to cooperate with deep understanding here). I am struck by the lady's posture as she seems to be covering herself in a way. I don't know if it's out of modesty or if she is trying to protect herself from her own self-discovery, or the discovery of others. It seems like a vulnerable posture overall--but maybe it is a meditative one instead.
In addition, I too am wondering about the messages which seem to be encoded in the ethereal background....
I think the lady is very comfortable in her own skin and that shows...I can detect a hint of shyness...perhaps an admirer or a lover is watching her. Maybe she woke up bathed in sunlight and her lover is right by her...whatever the story may be, it's a stunning painting...
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