Well done! I have never seen this painting before, and I didn’t know the origins of it, so that was a very interesting read. There’s just something so formal about the standing figure and now I understand the possibilities about why that is.
Un testo che ci trasporta dal bordo della piscina alle profondità dell’animo umano… Vittorio è riuscita magistralmente a mostrare come l’artista possa conferire alla persona amata tutta la nitidezza e la vitalità del quadro, mentre lui stesso svanisce nell’oscurità dei dettagli. Una lettura straordinaria che ci fa guardare il quadro con occhi completamente diversi ✨
I was deeply moved by the beauty and depth of both your writing and your reflections. I’d love to take my time and gradually read more of your work. Thank you for sharing this.
Your essay was eye-opening. Drowning in heartbreak. The painting is beautifully composed and yet so full of pain. The pool is a masquerade, with the colorful palette and the full light. I like the short circuit between Pirandello and Hockney, it reveals the hidden truth of the title and the painting. Thanks for your great analysis!
Big events etch images in our brain/soul/heart, is easier to paint and make the traduction to a canvass, artist visit this places over and over again, like a room in the house, the scenario can change, the elements just moves and still that space created by the event, an electric spark on the brain that stays, abrazos
A heartfelt piece. It's worth considering that the person who leaves may also experience devastating loss in discovering that the one they thought they loved was a figment of their imagination. The one who leaves may also be in mourning. They may find that their identity as lover has no longer any purpose and so "die" in their turn. The man left standing is not all executioner. Maybe he has turned to stone with a grief of his own. So it makes sense that neither of them is a real portrait; both are effigies.
Wow, this is the first time I’ve come across such a detailed, beautiful, and easy-to-understand description. I’m actually new to Substack, but your essay really left a strong impression on me. At first glance, the image looked like one person was swimming while the others were just watching. But reading your explanation revealed a deeper and more touching meaning. Thank you for sharing, Vi.
This line really got me “we mourn ourselves, the one they carried, the one who drowned when they turned away.” The piece captures the tension between loving and being loved beautifully. Bravo
I have never looked at art in the way you have just described, nor at lost ones now passed. I will look at both very differently going forward - for that, I wish you well, and thank you!
The most piercing thing here is that the gaze he gave himself back was assembled from borrowed parts: a stand-in swimmer, a garden pretending to be France, a man at the edge who was already gone.
Well done! I have never seen this painting before, and I didn’t know the origins of it, so that was a very interesting read. There’s just something so formal about the standing figure and now I understand the possibilities about why that is.
I will not look at this painting the same way again.
I am glad it resonated with you
The true loss is not the other person, but the version of ourselves that existed in their eyes.
Indeed!
Un testo che ci trasporta dal bordo della piscina alle profondità dell’animo umano… Vittorio è riuscita magistralmente a mostrare come l’artista possa conferire alla persona amata tutta la nitidezza e la vitalità del quadro, mentre lui stesso svanisce nell’oscurità dei dettagli. Una lettura straordinaria che ci fa guardare il quadro con occhi completamente diversi ✨
A beautiful commentary and a nod to Hockney and his practice. Thank you 🫧🌀
Great article- you have a unique approach to your writing. I’ve never really thought about what or who the figures represent.
I love the quiet voice, leaving a lot of space for the painting to unfold. A breath of fresh air, a very pleasant space.
I was deeply moved by the beauty and depth of both your writing and your reflections. I’d love to take my time and gradually read more of your work. Thank you for sharing this.
Your essay was eye-opening. Drowning in heartbreak. The painting is beautifully composed and yet so full of pain. The pool is a masquerade, with the colorful palette and the full light. I like the short circuit between Pirandello and Hockney, it reveals the hidden truth of the title and the painting. Thanks for your great analysis!
Big events etch images in our brain/soul/heart, is easier to paint and make the traduction to a canvass, artist visit this places over and over again, like a room in the house, the scenario can change, the elements just moves and still that space created by the event, an electric spark on the brain that stays, abrazos
A heartfelt piece. It's worth considering that the person who leaves may also experience devastating loss in discovering that the one they thought they loved was a figment of their imagination. The one who leaves may also be in mourning. They may find that their identity as lover has no longer any purpose and so "die" in their turn. The man left standing is not all executioner. Maybe he has turned to stone with a grief of his own. So it makes sense that neither of them is a real portrait; both are effigies.
Wow, this is the first time I’ve come across such a detailed, beautiful, and easy-to-understand description. I’m actually new to Substack, but your essay really left a strong impression on me. At first glance, the image looked like one person was swimming while the others were just watching. But reading your explanation revealed a deeper and more touching meaning. Thank you for sharing, Vi.
This line really got me “we mourn ourselves, the one they carried, the one who drowned when they turned away.” The piece captures the tension between loving and being loved beautifully. Bravo
I have never looked at art in the way you have just described, nor at lost ones now passed. I will look at both very differently going forward - for that, I wish you well, and thank you!
The most piercing thing here is that the gaze he gave himself back was assembled from borrowed parts: a stand-in swimmer, a garden pretending to be France, a man at the edge who was already gone.
One of those works that becomes richer the longer you look at it. The tension, the silence, the composition—extraordinary.