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Description

When I was little, I used to think that becoming an adult meant becoming something *else*. We would leave the chrysalis of adolescence to reach the ultimate stage of human maturation: a responsible and courageous adult ready to face all life's adversities. I have been an adult for a long time now, but I am still struck by how wrong this idea was. Little me is still there, lurking on the surface, ready to reappear in any situation that reminds us of our fragility and the ephemerality of all things, such as illness, grief, or simply the solitude of a cold winter's night. Then the child becomes whole again, with her anxieties, hopes and unanswered questions, as if no time had passed since. Our ancient and fundamental fears, which have no real resolution, come back to haunt us from time to time. This is what the worst nightmares are made of: a visit from the inconsolable ghosts of the past.

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The idea behind this painting is in a way my interpretation of Füssli's famous "Nightmare", a painting very dear to my heart, and my composition was largely inspired by Edmund Dulac's "The Sleeper".

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January 2024
Watercolors and colored pencils

Description

When I was little, I used to think that becoming an adult meant becoming something *else*. We would leave the chrysalis of adolescence to reach the ultimate stage of human maturation: a responsible and courageous adult ready to face all life's adversities. I have been an adult for a long time now, but I am still struck by how wrong this idea was. Little me is still there, lurking on the surface, ready to reappear in any situation that reminds us of our fragility and the ephemerality of all things, such as illness, grief, or simply the solitude of a cold winter's night. Then the child becomes whole again, with her anxieties, hopes and unanswered questions, as if no time had passed since. Our ancient and fundamental fears, which have no real resolution, come back to haunt us from time to time. This is what the worst nightmares are made of: a visit from the inconsolable ghosts of the past.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The idea behind this painting is in a way my interpretation of Füssli's famous "Nightmare", a painting very dear to my heart, and my composition was largely inspired by Edmund Dulac's "The Sleeper".

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 2024
Watercolors and colored pencils