Blue man in box

09 Ago Blue man in box

Hey Henri,

I just finished another piece and thought I’d share it with you. It’s called “Blue Man in Box.” Let me tell you about it—I’m pretty excited but also a bit unsure about it.

As always I will divide this letter of mine into paragraphs so you can read it more easily.

1. Objective description of the drawing.
2. Reason that encouraged me to paint this drawing.
3. Message conveyed by the work.
4. The technique used to create the work.
5. Personal final criticism.

1) Objective description of the drawing.

This drawing shows a person squashed against the confines of the canvas, trying desperately to push against the walls that seem to crush him. The figure, painted in blue, appears to be trapped and in distress, with his mouth open as if he’s screaming for help. The background is pitch black, making the blue figure pop out even more. I outlined the figure in a yellow-green color to make sure he doesn’t blend into the background. The overall effect is pretty intense. You can see the anguish on his face and his limbs straining against the edges, like he’s trying to escape but can’t.

2) Reason that encouraged me to paint this drawing.

So, why did I paint this? I was thinking a lot about how our mobile devices, which are supposed to connect us, actually isolate us. It’s like we’re all in our little boxes, constantly bombarded with useless information. We’ve got this constant flood of empty and often conflicting news that just suffocates our minds. Instead of fostering genuine human connections, it feels like our devices are pulling us further apart, leaving us like puppets being controlled. That’s what I wanted to capture in this drawing—the feeling of being overwhelmed and trapped by our own devices and the information overload they bring.

3) Message conveyed by the work.

This drawing is part of my “Communication in a Box” series. The idea is to explore how our modern lifestyles, with all their worries and lack of real human interaction, make us anxious and isolated. We’re connected to the whole world, yet we’re alone with our gadgets. In this chaotic flow of information, it’s hard to tell what’s true and what’s not, and that makes everything feel meaningless. My aim with this series is to show the loneliness and confusion that comes with our over-reliance on technology.

4) The technique used to create the work.

I used oil pastels mixed with bold strokes of charcoal for this piece. It’s on a relatively small canvas, 12.9 x 9.4 inches. I chose this size because I want my drawings to be accessible to people who might not have a lot of space to display art. Plus, smaller pieces can be grouped together to create a bigger impact. I think the combination of pastels and charcoal gives it a raw, expressive feel, which is exactly what I was going for.

5) Personal final criticism

Now, here comes the self-critique. I’m not entirely sure that “Blue Man in Box” has the impact I wanted. I feel like the definition and detail might not be strong enough to hold the viewer’s attention for long. It’s frustrating because I had such high hopes for this piece. I think I might revisit this concept later and try to refine it. However, there was something positive that came out of this process. While working on it, I felt this intense sense of claustrophobia, and that gave me some new ideas to explore in future works. So, not all is lost!

Anyway, dear Henri, I have to get going. It’s almost 7:30 in the morning, and I need to get ready for work. I’d love to spend all day drawing, but unfortunately, I still need to eat and pay rent. If I had to rely solely on selling my drawings, I’d probably end up living under a bridge!

Most sincere regards,

Your friend, Jean-Luc

Eternity is just a particularity of time