Call 1944

Paul Delvaux painted "Call", a 155 x 150 cm oil painting. I feel like I'm peeking through the back of Delvaux's skull here. It’s like an elaborate stage set, complete with naked women, skeletons, and those strange architectural backdrops he loved so much. The way he renders bodies – that smooth, almost porcelain skin – makes them feel so unreal. It's like the uncanny valley of painting. I wonder what he was thinking as he painted this scene? There's a sort of dream logic at play, where everything is hyper-realistic, yet nothing makes sense together. The seated figure in the right of the frame in particular, looks as though she could be the sister of a figure painted by Balthus. You know, it's funny how painters keep referencing each other across time. We're all just having this big conversation, trying to figure out what it means to be human. It’s the way he brings together these disparate elements that feels so modern. Delvaux’s use of stillness and silence creates an unsettling and surreal experience, inviting us to find our own meanings in his strange theatre.