sea_and_rain tender_square the docent pointed to a washed out painting in a gilded frame. “often times when we’re in gallery spaces we don’t know what to do or where to start. a good place to begin is thinking about the senses, thinking about the relation these paintings may have in common with one another, and the kind of feelings they invoke. what colours do you see?” “grey,” someone called. “blue,” said another. “beige,” added one more. “yes, and we also see some hints of purple, a lot of brown, and this smudge of black that looks like it may be a person but we’re not quite sure.” the colours were muted, cool. curved sandy banks met creeping water, and a dismal fog enveloped the scene, blurring life. the figure was disappearing, becoming one with the setting. “doesn’t this painting look like it could be contemporary?” the docent remarked. “it doesn’t look like it was painted over a hundred years ago, that’s what i love about it.” “think about a time you’ve been in nature,” she continued. “was it overwhelming? or was it peaceful? this picture will mean different things to different people.” the horizon took up the lower third of the canvas, the rest of the expanse was cloudy sky blotting out any chance of warmth. i imagined myself as the beachcomber in that enormity of wilderness, overcome with the sensation of my own insignificance, of being surrounded on all sides by god. 221018 what's it to you? who go blather from