Window, Cour de Rohan 1951

Here's a painting of an open window by Balthus, the painter who liked to make you feel like you were intruding on a private moment. I wonder what it was like to stand in his shoes, looking out at that courtyard, trying to capture the light just so. You can almost feel the stillness in the air, like the world is holding its breath. The colour palette is muted, lots of earthy tones and grays. The paint looks thin, like the colours have been washed, almost transparent, across the canvas. There is an attention to edges and framing, everything sits in its place, but the angle of the window ajar breaks this, leaving a taste of what it would be like to be on the other side. There’s something about the quietness of it all that speaks to me. It reminds me of other painters like Vilhelm Hammershoi or Edward Hopper. They all seem to be reaching for the same thing: an exploration into perception and feeling through scenes of quiet contemplation. Painting is like a big conversation, isn't it? We’re all just riffing off each other, trying to say something new, or maybe just trying to understand something old in a new way.