Untitled. Winter Album 2016

Kinder Album made this untitled watercolor, probably in the winter, you can tell by the frozen landscape. It’s the kind of piece that pulls you in with its strangeness. Look at how the watercolor washes create a ghostly atmosphere. The thin paint layers give the snow this almost transparent quality, and the figures are outlined with delicate pen work. The juxtaposition of the nude figure pinned under a chandelier is both absurd and a little heartbreaking, the officer looks like he’s seen it all before. I like the touch of red around the figure’s head, it suggests injury, but also maybe…a halo? The bare tree, the seated figure, and the fallen chandelier create a strange set of contrasts. It reminds me a little of Balthus, but with a more deadpan, contemporary sensibility. There is always an ongoing conversation in art, an exchange of ideas across time. Ultimately, this piece embraces ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own interpretations to its enigmatic scene.