Description
A young woman in her nightgown reflects on a new day from a balcony in Madrid. The painting on the wall is a reproduction of a painting of the Infanta Margarita by Diego Velázquez, (1653). An art consultant opined that the woman on the balcony was likely a prostitute. It seems that Beauty, like sex and everything else, lies in the eyes of the beholder. (This image is also available as a digital print.)
To me the most evocative painters of interiors come from the Scandinavian countries. The works of Anna Ancher, Peder Severin Krøyer and Carl Larsson create moods of quiet intimacy that act as attractive counterbalances to the frenetic pace of the worlds we live in today. It’s refreshing to be reminded that there is life without television and smartphones and that simply reading a book can alleviate a lot of stress.