There are places that take us to a different state of mind. Places where we can disconnect from everything that’s outside and engage with our inner self. Places where we breathe and exhale peace. Places where we feel free.
One of the most interesting aspects about art is that it can take us to places that we dream about, with a simple glance, without moving an inch. It can take us wherever we want to go. Now imagine that we were able to teleport everyday as soon as we step home or as soon as we enter our bedrooms. Sounds like a good plan, especially in times like these, in which our homes have become shelters in the midst of a pandemic that prevents us from moving freely.
Alba Bautista’s Sunset Moment is one of those pieces that, for me, has the ability to transport us to a serene yet unknown location. The sky, in different shades of beige, violet, and cyan melt with dark-green toned mountains that seem to be floating around. The sky is definitely the star element of this composition. So many colors come together that it would be difficult to find them all with just one glance. The clouds and mountains point us to the lake that rests in the background and serve as a frame for the always well-received element of water.
As far as I understand, this artwork doesn’t correspond to a specific place, but I’m pretty sure the artist had a similar place like this one stored deeply in her mind and her heart. What is exciting about her work is that even a tranquil scenario, like the one from Sunset Moment, is not motionless. The front vegetation seems dancing at a steady pace. It becomes hard to identify real shapes because of the motion and because the colors seem to blend with each other in a harmonious way. When we pay attention closely, the mountains appear to join the dance. It’s like we can feel the breeze already wrapping us. Air, soil, and water come together to provide us the calm that we urgently need after a hard day of work. They balance all of our energy and reset us to a peaceful state.
SIDENOTE – Art in the spotlight
Now, imagine we have a warm-toned light fixture to set the mood for the land that’s coming out of the artwork. Lovely, isn’t it? What about some candles for a special occasion? Perfect! One of the advantages of earth-tone artworks is that they combine perfectly with other elements in most of the rooms. In bedrooms for example, wood becomes the perfect complement for a piece like this one. In such cases, I normally prefer to keep things simple, allowing me to maintain balance and letting my mind to take a break from what is going out there in the world.