23rd May 2022 Dr Beena
Hello guys, I hope all are faring well😊. I wish to describe this painting which was my art classwork. In this class, I learned to use pastels to create this painting. Pastels come in various forms. I used the hard type of pastel, not the oil-based ones here. For the first layer, after applying the colours, you can apply water to blend and create a soft, diffused look. After that, you add on more colours and blend. I preferred to use my fingers to blend even though I had the option of using wet wipes as it has alcohol. However, I had better control with my fingers even though it got messy😊.
The picture depicts a row of houses facing the sea with windswept flowers in the foreground. It gives a feeling of dusk or dawn, depending on how you feel it. Many felt the picture exudes a sense of serenity. However, one thought it was pretty depressing. I was then reminded of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte☹. I did feel there was an element of sadness in that picture beneath that layer of quietude. I always felt the books by the Bronte sisters were depressing. All of them died in the prime of life, leaving behind some of the greatest classics. They wrote under the pseudonym of Currer ( Charlotte), Ellis (Emily)and Acton (Anne) Bell. In those days, female writers had to surmount monumental challenges to get their work published.
Nevertheless, most felt the picture depicted a happy place for a getaway. Many asked if this place was in Kuching. It is not in Kuching, but I felt there was a universality about that picture. It could be anywhere in the world. On that note, hope you enjoyed my musings on this picture😊😊.
3 thoughts on “Bronte and a Getaway”
Interesting to learn that the painting was done with your fingers. I do feel a bit sad when looking at the painting even though the hues are in the red pink purplish spectrum. I think it’s the sense of isolation. The Yorkshire moors of the Brontes evoke that feeling for me, too. But the painting is beautiful.
Beena, I feel the same thing about the Bronte sisters’ works. All were rather depressing. Your painting gives me a feeling of isolation and depression. I wouldn’t want to be caught in a place like that. I am a city person. I am enchanted by the bright city lights that surround me every night and I enjoy standing by my window, looking at people and cars in my neighbourhood. I am filled with curiosity about my one particular neighbour living in a corner semi detached house below my apartment. For years, I’ve been so used to seeing this old Caucasian male swimming in his private pool and sunbathing on his deck chair. I was so used to seeing him wining and dining with his friends and relatives in his garden. Then a week ago, he simply vanished. When I looked up property guru to see if that property had been put up for sale – true enough, it had for $10.5 million SGD. Where did he go ? I am still wondering.
Hahaha, you know your story of city life gives a twist to the story of that man that you have been tracking. Maybe he too lived a desolute life, one never knows:)