Iron age 1951

Paul Delvaux painted this strange dreamscape, probably in oils, at some point during his long career. There's a nude woman in the foreground. She looks like a classical statue but she is painted with a ghostly touch. Maybe Delvaux was thinking of Ingres? Behind her, we see a train station at night. A bizarre combination of nature and industry. I can only imagine what it was like to paint such a picture. To conjure this sense of unease and mystery. It reminds me a little of de Chirico's surrealism, but with a more sensual touch. The muted color palette adds to the disquieting atmosphere. The woman’s ambiguous gesture - is she beckoning or warding off? - is so mysterious. It creates a feeling of disconnection. Artists are always pulling things from each other, from the past and from their own dreams, and Delvaux does this so well. He leaves so much room for our own interpretations. It's not just about what we see, but what we feel when we look at it.