19.5 cm (w) x 24.5 cm (h), acrylic paints on glass.
Date produced: 1980
This painting was based on an idea I had one morning on the train, while travelling to work. A commuter, travelling the same path to work every day and sitting on the other side of the carriage looked oblivious to the world passing him/her by, outside the train. Remarkable things are happening all the time out there, and the commuter must resign himself/herself to the dulling repetition and routine of daily ‘work’. Why must the majority of people give up so much personal freedom, to earn a living?
At the time, I was highly influenced by the work of Vincent van Gogh, and painted this image using a similar style to how I saw much of his painting style.
I also liked the idea of using two sides of a sheet of glass to set up the image - the outside world, emotionally disconnected to the world within the carriage, was painted in reverse on the back side of the glass. It has a very different texture and look, and sits a little behind the front surface of the glass. I wanted to suggest interest and excitement there, being ignored by the daily commuter. The front surface of the glass allowed a more direct application of thick acrylic paint strokes, more like the strokes painted by Vincent van Gogh.
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