Whether it’s playing with a glass wall draped in falling water or lanterns in a garden, the ability to engage so purely and unadulterated with the world is something to be wondered at. It’s also an ability that decays with age.
John Singer Sergent’s ‘Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose’ (2nd image) captures at its heart a moment in time - the ‘fleeting atmosphere of dusk’ and the innocence of youth.
For me it highlights the unique magic, peaceful candor and curiosity that can only emerge in those rare moments, when the weight of the world and the burdens of self fade away, leaving only unguarded honesty and peace.
In both the photo at the @ngvmelbourne and Singer Sargents masterpiece, we are invited to share this moment not as active contributors but as honoured and trusted guests. A simple intimate feeling akin to those times you’re invited stay for dinner at friends place, and are swept into the particular daily routines and rituals that make Tuesday night dinner unique to them. You’re welcomed, but not acknowledged as a guest - You’re assumed as family. A trust in you that allows them to be them.
As we all get older and experience and learn more of the world, it becomes harder and harder to find those moments of blissful interaction. And I suppose that’s ok. I just hope we can cherish them when they next come around.
