Alphons Grandmont, slapend in bed 1892 - 1913

Bramine Hubrecht made this watercolour of Alphons Grandmont asleep in bed. Look how the washes of colour slip and slide across the surface, creating a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere. You can almost feel the quiet stillness of the room. Imagine Hubrecht, brush in hand, watching Grandmont as he slumbers. What is she thinking? Is she capturing his likeness, or something more? I can really appreciate the way she’s used the fluidity of the watercolour to convey the softness of sleep, the way the world seems to dissolve around us when we drift off. Notice the way the lines around his face and head are blurred, suggesting movement and change, like a half-formed memory. With the addition of some deeper tones, Hubrecht makes visible what is normally invisible to the eye: the intimate moment of someone sleeping. Painters are always in conversation, picking up on each other’s ideas and ways of seeing. Just like dreams, painting allows us to explore the world in a more open way, where things aren't always so clear and fixed.