In Praise of Melancholy 1948

Curator: It's uncanny how easily the dream unfurls itself in front of you, isn't it? This is Paul Delvaux's 1948 painting, "In Praise of Melancholy." Editor: It's got such a still, theatrical feeling. Like a stage set waiting for something, or perhaps dreading what's about to happen. A touch sinister. Curator: Yes! But there's such precision in rendering the textures—the sheen of the draped fabric, the cool marble, that elaborate choker, even the lace worn by the standing figure. It’s the layering of realities that really hooks me. Did you notice the pair of shoes abandoned next to her feet? Editor: Ha! A great reminder that it is labor, the human body with its frailties, behind the veneer. It's oil on canvas, yes? The smoothness he achieves is deceptive, I'm wondering how he built up the layers of paint, particularly for the draped cloth. It feels almost…industrial in its perfection. Curator: Exactly! And Delvaux was so taken with Chirico’s use of classical motifs, the unsettling juxtapositions—but Delvaux softens it somehow, even when he depicts melancholic female figures in various states of undress. You mentioned 'sinister'; it's almost as if these women hold secrets we can never know, and that vacant gallery adds to the intrigue. It feels like walking through a memory palace. Editor: I agree, that emptiness resonates with all the labor that goes into making such domestic spaces of leisure—all those decorative details require upkeep, attention. What looks calm to us means actual exploitation in some other reality, and maybe those vacant walls offer a glimpse of it? Curator: You make a salient point, a darkness indeed, underlying that pristine veneer! Delvaux paints it all so smoothly, like a whispered conspiracy. It's eerie but almost…tender in its loneliness. The way the blue echoes through the room, the angles it all creates—a tender trap! Editor: "Tender trap," I like that, a sharp image indeed! It reveals the complexity behind the allure. Perhaps Delvaux unconsciously documented the system itself. Curator: Well, whether by chance or design, he undeniably caught something about the complexities of seeing and being seen. Editor: True, it makes us look with greater intent now, I think. A worthy reminder!