Last week on Friday a collective exhibition has started in Deurne (NL) at the Gemeentehuis (the City Hall) and I was asked to participate with a couple of works of mines. I was doubtful on what to propose and then I decided to expose a portrait and a watercolour.

What I love about exhibitions is to see how people react at different works. Just arrived at the city hall I was welcomed by somebody who I don’t know who called me with my first name and complimented on the portrait.

It is so fantastic to feel this connection with people you have never met before. The fact that somebody feels an emotion through my work and makes them feel that they know me. It is like they are able to read my code and understand it. I think this is pure magic.

I took a walk around to look at the collective exposed and then I sat in a corner and just observed people walking in front of my works. I felt so thrilled when somebody walking around just felt the urge to stop in front of my art and check further.

Some of them just stood silently for a few seconds and I could imagine the pupils of their eyes adjusting to the image in front of them, in order to grab it. Some others were excited and moved the body right and left and back and forth to find the perfect view. They were pointing the lines on the portrait and on the watercolour and commenting and moving their heads.

Later on they stopped me to just tell me how fantastic they found my art. I was talking to a man who was smiling and was full of emotion and he said about my work: ‘Oh! Pra-chtig!’, exhaling a long breath. Prachtig is a Dutch word that is translated with ‘magnificent’ in English.

Magnificent. Me.

This man does not know but the joy that he expressed looking at my art was pure energy for me, fuel to my will of expression, fire to my desire of inspiration.

Like the sun for a million of years.

 

 

People looking at my portrait.

 

Noortje

Oil-based charcoal pencil on paper

27,5 x 37,5 cm

 

All images © 2018 Rosanna Gaddoni

All rights reserved