Something is missing. For me melancholy means, something is missing. There is no joy in seeing the blue sky and sun, there is no deeper love when looking at my partner, there is no aim in my ambition, no energy in dance, no hope of a better day.
Earth is a warm place 1 (click photo to enlarge)
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 30 cm
For me melancholy is the absence of a spark which gives spice to every action. Melancholy is like swimming through lukewarm water without a shore nearby. Melancholy is not the crying, the moaning, but the stillness when something is missing which I barely can remind.
For me melancholy is being an outsider while everybody is an insider with no wish to change this. Being alone amid the other and unable to reach out.
For me melancholy means seeing the beauty of nature while knowing it will fade, knowing I will fade.
There is no reason to do anything ….
I have chosen a scene of slow decay to represent this feeling of emptiness, loss, and melancholy. On the first glance you will notice a rich and lively nature. A pasture surrounded by trees. But this is only the first impression. Actually, the sky is overcast, and all colours are muted. I removed the brilliance of the colours by mixing everything with a hint of light grey. This is contrasted by the bright and warm yellow of the construction trailer – the main theme of the painting. This trailer while still bright is slowly rotting. It can no longer be moved, its wheels destroyed, and axle broken. Its inside filled with a brooding darkness. It is no longer useful, and its load is simply forgotten. I tried to visualize this lapse into oblivion by truncating the trailer although it is the actual main topic of the painting.
I hope my painting enables the observer to feel the above-mentioned loss. To feel, that something is fading away, the sadness of being no longer involved in live. And perhaps to feel melancholy and work through it, to find a new spark in live.
This is my contribution to ART EXPLOSION WEEK 28: Theme MELANCHOLY by @juliakponsford