Complicity
You must have undoubtedly already experienced this, being installed deep in your foggy thoughts and observing your surrounding environment mechanically without any particular idea or fixed idea and allowing yourself to be invaded by a sort of ambient serenity.
Some time ago, during a few days off, my wife and I were sitting side by side on a sandy beach, enjoying the light breeze of the end of the day and the expanse of fine sand that gave us such a change of scenery. of our daily mountains. We both stood there silently savoring this opportunity to be able to observe the horizon with the sparkle of the setting sun on the surface of the sea.
The ebb and flow of the water created a sort of recurring sound whose tempo we had both forgotten. The deserted beach offered the spectacle of seagulls which constantly came and went on the beach like an improvised ballet, thus presenting the full spatial dimension of this place.
My eye was suddenly attracted by an elderly couple walking at the edge of the water, their bare feet splashed with foam and hand in hand as on the first day. Everyone held their own shoes in their free hand. With a slow but very confident step, they walked along this particular fringe at the limit of water and sand as if to savor the creaminess of a natural massage which seemed to be part of their daily ritual.
Their clothing demonstrated particular care, with an offbeat connotation that imposed respect for their age, their complicity and the romanticism that emanated from them. They both moved forward with flawless regularity, sometimes allowing themselves to stop for a few moments by turning towards the sea, as if to check if the sun would still accompany them for the duration of their walk.
Having reached my height, I glimpsed some lip movements which could imply a verbal exchange as affectionate as their posture. She was only wearing her shoes, a sober style in natural leather, dressed in a fairly loose cream top and a black draped skirt stopping at mid-calf and which had already visibly weathered a few rebellious waves.
He was wearing a light-toned short-sleeved shirt with a pinkish tip and long, loose khaki shorts that showed his knees. He was wearing a gray pétanque player's cap which gave him an old-fashioned elegance worthy of post-war films. He was holding his pair of shoes in his hand, the pattern of the soles of which could be seen. A backpack in a bold green color, trimmed with white zippers, hung from his shoulders and suggested rather light contents.
TOGETHER
Acrylic on canvas 50 x 50
There emanated from them a loving complicity which radiated at each of their steps with this serenity and this gentleness that only the many years of living together could shape this way. We could, without knowing the details, easily imagine the developments and the slices of life we went through.
I couldn't resist quickly sketching their silhouettes and thus memorizing this endearing couple. Time was running out for me, as their steady pace quickly carried them into the perspective of this undulating beach. I could already only distinguish two dark spots and I kept the sketch that I had just completed in my hands to allow me to retranslate later and as faithfully as possible on a canvas this moment of happiness.
Their passage in front of us, then their journey away, had totally captivated my wife and me. We were there, sitting side by side, holding each other's arms, our minds full of complicity and the masterful desire to take our turn a stretch of path along the edge of the shore to return to our hotel. This work was recently created and I invite you to discover it here ... enjoy your stroll
