Man in zijn pyjama in de schommelstoel op de veranda omringd door speelgoeddieren. c. 1910

Frits Freerks Fontein Fz. made this photograph of a man in his pajamas in a rocking chair on the porch surrounded by toy animals sometime around 1910. Imagine him there, on his porch, surrounded by the silent gaze of his stuffed animal companions. It's as if he’s made a little world where he can be himself, away from all the day-to-day expectations. The light is soft, almost dreamlike, and the sepia tones give everything a sense of nostalgia. I wonder if this was a moment of peace for him, a time when he could just sit and be, without pretense. I look at this image and think, yeah, that's it. It’s about allowing oneself the space to simply exist, mess and all. And maybe, just maybe, that's what art is really about too.