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The pleasure of sadness
Though the De Bottom’s extract is plenty of ‘sad’ words, I actually enjoyed reading it!
In some way, it produced over me the same effects as the Hopper’s paintings: a pleasure of just staying, in fact!
As most of the human being, I’m used to run all the time, to feel always worried about something, persecuted by my regrets and griefs. Through the “Hopperesque“, that transient status of stillness and isolation, I feel like to have the chance to reach that longed and welcoming embrace, paradoxically without any human company!
Within this intimate and solitaire process, another paradox seems to arise: all the comforts of our houses, all our loved objects, coloured curtains, cushions and so on are excluded, moved away from us and substituted by bleak places, stark furnishings, anonymous objects… of course, in those images there’s not any recall to what we should have built or created along our existence, there is no pressure of any sort and they permit us to stay suspended, adrift in fact… I love it!
I think the title of the extract perfectly conveys all these paradoxes and feelings: yes, there is sadness but this sadness has something of attractive, pleasant…it’s a temptation!
Unlike @chiaramig (I loved reading her account too!), I would keep a Hopper painting on the wall of my living room! I still remember a flat where I occasionally spent one night with a person (architect by the way!), with this Hopper’s “Gas station” painting hang on his wall, and I immediately felt welcomed, like that canvas told me “you are not alone”, “you can stay here and just abandon yourself”. I asked that person if I could bring away that print with me… unfortunately he refused!
Finally, I don’t know any other artist that communicate loneliness in the same way as Hopper, but De Bottom mentions Andreas Gursky and Hannah Starkey as photographers, Thomas Bernhard as writer and Wim Wenders as film director, I would definitely catch up on some of their works (actually, I watched some Wenders films as the Sky over Berlin and loved them without fully understanding them!).
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3 Replies
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Morning @sonim,
This piece of writing is lovely. You raise some interesting points and your descriptive writing is moving. You’ve used some excellent vocabulary and managed to talk about a complex issue fluently in English. Excellent, really!
Notes;
> when we talk about an artist’s work, we don’t need the article ‘the’:
NOT – Though the De Bottom’s extract ….. and ….effects as the Hopper’s paintings….
BUT – Though De Bottom’s extract … and ….effects as Hopper’s paintings.…
* unless we talk about in the singular e.g. The Hopper painting, ‘The Lighthouse…’, is …..
> As most of the human being, > it sounds more natural to say, As most people, …. (or As most human beings …)
Can you try and correct these?!
> I’m used to run all the time
> Finally, I don’t know any other artist that communicate
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Hi @Kerin,
thanks a lot for your comments and notes. I enjoyed this task!
Here the 2 corrections (hope so!):
> I’m used to runNING all the time
> Finally, I don’t know any other artist that communicateS
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Good morning @sonim 🤗
Well done. If you add ‘around’ to make it a phrasal verb, I’ll give you 100 points 😂
I’m used to runNING around all the time …
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/run-around
Have a lovely Monday xxx
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