Contemplating on the rocks 2020

Curator: Painted in 2020 by Nick Alm, this figurative landscape, titled "Contemplating on the rocks", immediately suggests a moment of pensive isolation. What are your initial impressions? Editor: Bracing, isn’t it? That pale light, the austere colors. I feel a bit cold just looking at it. She's got that thousand-yard stare, like she’s miles away, even though the landscape looms. I wonder what rocks she's contemplating on? Curator: Yes, that sense of remove is striking. Symbolically, the rocky landscape might represent the trials of life, those hurdles we must all overcome. Rocks in art are often connected with human’s primal, instinctive power, strength and durability. Editor: So she's meant to embody strength? To me, she looks fragile in that bulky coat, as if trying to hide, like she's shielding herself from... something. The dark clothing suggests to me maybe mourning. Curator: An interesting interpretation. I see her more as poised than fragile, set against this somewhat harsh backdrop. Notice the use of realism with the details of her features – her eyes, her complexion – contrasted against a much more indistinct mountain range. This contrast throws an inner light on her psychological condition, where the background stands almost as the emotional mirror of the figure in a landscape Editor: It's definitely a moody piece, playing with that interior/exterior contrast like you mentioned. I'm still struck by the scale, both her as figure within this looming landscape, and in how a small set of color values manage to give me such an intense mood. Curator: It is indeed a haunting and affecting visual statement by Alm. Thank you for these reflections! Editor: Likewise! I find myself wondering how much of the artist's own introspective state influenced the piece. Fascinating!