View of the Garden from the Kitchen Balcony (Square de Port-Royal) 2000

Avigdor Arikha's, *View of the Garden from the Kitchen Balcony (Square de Port-Royal)*, is like a quick sketch made with pastel or paint—a direct response to a fleeting moment, capturing the light and shadows of the garden. I can imagine Arikha standing at the balcony, quickly laying down colours as he looks out from the window. The garden is full of greens and greys, and there's this wonderful contrast between the soft, hazy background and the sharp, defined edges of the balcony. It's like he's trying to pin down a memory, a sensory impression that might disappear at any moment. And that’s painting, right? It’s an act of looking, feeling, and then trying to capture that on a surface. Arikha’s work reminds me of other artists who found endless inspiration in their immediate surroundings. Like Bonnard, Vuillard, or even Fairfield Porter—artists who saw the extraordinary in the ordinary. They're all part of this ongoing conversation, bouncing ideas and ways of seeing off each other.