Person at the Window

Salvador Dali is a prime example of pushing thoughts to the extreme. He was highly imaginative, and, when he combined his mind bending imagery with his brilliant artistic skills, he left behind a multitude of bizarre yet striking works of art. So, it might seem a little unusual that I have chosen to focus on one of his more simpler and not as well known paintings.
However, this image of a person gazing out the window has always captivated me. It has an incredible dreamlike quality and invites you to use your own imagination instead of Dali lending you his. It truly reflects the emotions that I was riddled with after losing my father to cancer and deciding to get off my path in nursing.
So, let's look more closely at this image (even though seeing it on such a small scale does not do it justice) and listen to my interpretation of it: Notice how your eyes are first met with a bare and dreary room. It seems as if he is trying to blend the girl right into this room by draping her body and demeanor with the same isolated and drab feeling. Then, you are immediately drawn into the serene landscape she is gazing upon. The clear blue and gentle water is an enticing mode of transportation to a more colorful and civilized land not far away. She is trapped and her only view point to that brighter and more inviting world is that window, but, her foot is arched indicating that she may be pushing herself towards it. We purposely cannot see her face and its emotion. So, we do not know if she is ready to entirely take that leap of faith.
Salvador Dali captured a moment we can all relate to....a moment of complete despair mixed with a glimpse of hope that things can only get better.
So, there I was. I was trapped, so to say, in a room just like that, but, I knew that my life had to go on somehow. I was just so unsure of what I was going to see, though, when I found my window in my gloomy room, that I almost didn't even want to look. However, it was too hard not to notice and it was too tempting to ignore any longer.
So, I slowly crept up to my window, and, took a little peek. To my surprise, I saw an old friend, still familiar and comforting, reassuringly looking back at me. I was completely over joyed that it was still there, right where I had left it, and, wanting to embrace me again. That's the thing, though, with old friends. There is an unspoken loyalty that you have with them, and, an unbiased love that never dies. So, I trusted it, without any hesitation, and, eagerly leaped out of my window and swore to never let go of it again!

Image Credit: Salvador Dali - "Person at the Window" also referred to as the "Figure at the Window" - 1925

There is an excellent website dedicated to Salvador Dali and I encourage you to visit it and take a break from reality for a little while: http://www.virtualdali.com/