Arjun Vijay Prakash

on finding the proof that i existed. Claude Monet’s Houses of Parliament, Sunset (1903). i chose this artwork because it shows a perfect balance between two massive forces. the sky is full of orange light, which is from the sunset, but the river and the buildings are covered in blue and purple colours. this is what equilibrium looks like to me. the best thing is that neither one “takes over the painting”. they happen at the exact same rate. it perfectly matches how my best and worst days happened on the ...

the slow change between ice and water. Claude Monet’s The Thaw at Vétheuil (1880). i chose this painting because it shows exactly how those last few days felt. the river has been frozen solid for weeks, but the ice is finally starting to crack. it doesn’t melt all at once. it happens slowly, and then suddenly, the water starts moving again. that is the “melting point” for me. the small gestures from people didn’t fix the whole month. they just “cracked the ice.” it shows that things can “soften” when you...

on being known by everyone, and seen by no one. Claude Monet’s The Gare St-Lazare (1877). i chose this piece because it mirrors exactly how i saw the world during those four weeks. the people are a blurry mess, a group i only watch from afar, never speaking to. it is a “breaking point” where human visibility is lost. more than that, the trains reveal the real thing: they are leaving, carrying away the last of their emotions. it means that they have no sympathy, no attention left for me now. they have “le...