“Morning session” (detail), 2015, soft pastel on pastel paper, 9,5×13 inches (24×32 cm).
Have you ever felt an interior to have a life of its own? As if it is an entity that is separate from the liveliness of the people living in it. I have always been fascinated with paintings that reveal the magic of empty space—especially ones with windows even more so than doors. The interiors of Danish painter Wilhelm Hammershøi is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about animate space.
The picture is a detail from a preliminary pastel drawing of my psychoanalyst’s bay windows during our morning sessions. The final drawing was given to her. It sounds peculiar, but I had the sensation that there were three of us in there: her, me and the entity of the room. I wanted to keep a reminder of the view from the couch where I was lying because she wanted to relocate her office, and I would no longer see these windows. The drawing was made from memory. My intention to draw the morning view came from the fact that it was during that time, when the light entered the room more intensely, filling it with optimism. Also, these windows reminded me of the bay windows of the apartment I lived for three years in London. I was younger then and had associated it with many memories. Perhaps it is this feeling of hope and anticipation that windows convey that makes me so drawn to them. The promise of happiness. Because when you open them, it is either the sun or the stars that you will encounter.
Add a Comment