Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Terri's Favorite Fictional Character --- Girl at the Window


Whenever I have a hankering for a well written review by someone who I admire and respect, I head on over to Terri's blog, Alexia's Books and Such.  I'm pretty sure I've been following her blog from the very beginning, though I could be off by a week or two.  I don't remember what brought me to her blog, but I've been grateful for it ever since.  Terri has become a good blogging friend, someone who's opinion I will take to heart. She has shown me nothing but kindness, and I thank her for it.  And for this post, she is breaking a boundary that has not been crossed before on this blog.  She is charting new territory when it comes to Favorite Fictional Character posts, and I have a feeling it's territory I will be visiting myself someday.  So please go by her blog and say hi and great job.


This is a Salvador Dali painting, most commonly known as "Girl at the Window."

Seems an odd choice for a Favorite Fictional Character post, doesn't it? A moment in time captured in a painting. An unknown character with an unknown story. How can this be a Favorite Fictional Character? Glad you asked!

When Ryan asked me if I'd be interested in doing one of these posts for him, he said that there were no limitations on where the character could come from and that books, movies, TV shows, poems, songs, or even artwork were all on the table. Artwork? Color me intrigued! And what better artwork to feature than one of my favorites?

I found a poster of this piece many years ago, lying on the floor, at a warehouse sale. Had no idea who he artist was or the title, but I knew that I had to have it!  It "spoke" to me (plus, it was blue and I knew it would look good in my bathroom).  It quickly became my favorite poster!

As you might have guessed from my avatar, there's something about staring out a window that I love....the longing for what's out there....wanting to explore new horizons...wondering if the grass is really greener over the next hill? I have spent plenty of time staring out windows over the years, so I identify with this unknown girl.

I love this picture. Who is the girl? Is she longing for far horizons? I think that she's been at the window for awhile and didn't just stop by to check the weather, as she looks like she's settled in. See how she's leaning on the sill and one of her legs is bent? Like she's shifting her stance to find a more comfortable position. Like she's spent hours at that window....

I think that she certainly qualifies as a FFC, in that I'm able to come up with my own stories for her. Has she had a rough day and wants to escape? Is she just a daydreamer? Does she have itchy feet and longs to travel? I see all of that....and more. Am I nuts and it's just a girl standing at a window? Can you feel her longing? What do you see when you look at this picture?

11 comments:

Heidenkind said...

Great idea for a favorite fictional character!

Felicity Grace Terry said...

So true Ryan, Terri or Alexia as I always think of her is an amazing blogger buddy.

Great post, I've seen this poster around and always wondered about the girl.

Gina said...

Wonderful post! She DEFINITELY qualifies as a FFC and I love how you explained the reasoning behind it. I too am imagining what she might be seeing out that window just beyond our vantage point or what great mysteries of life she may be contemplating. May have to seek out a print of this work myself. ^_^

(Oh and whole heartedly agree....Terri aka Alexia is a fabulous bloggy friend! Definitely recommend making her acquaintance and following her site.)

Bo said...

What a great post! Terri has been a long time friend of mine. I just have to say that this is poetic. And it made me stop, look at the picture, I mean REALLY look at the picture and think about what it was saying to me. I put myself in her shoes. Although, I no longer live there, I grew up down at the shore. One of my favorite pastimes was sitting by the water, just watching the water lap, listening to the sound of the water and letting my minid wander where it will. That's what I think she's doing, staring at the water and setting her mind free.

Tammy @ http://bosbooknook.blogspot.com

Jenny said...

Sadly I had never seen this painting before. I really like it. It's peaceful and restless all in one. Very unique idea to go with a painting!

Alexia561 said...

Thank you for the kind words! And I appreciate Ryan giving me the chance to share my favorite artwork via his famous FFC posts. I don't quite remember how we met either, but I'm glad we did as he's one of my favorite blogging buddies! :)

Angela's Anxious Life said...

This is a good post. Thinking outside the box. And I would like to add that I am surprised that I have never seen this painting before. It reminds me of the one of the girl lying in the field.. Cristina's World. I always wonder what she is doing or thinking. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina%27s_World

Angie

Angela's Anxious Life

Angela's Anxious Life said...

You should set up a linky for this so people who participate can look at posts others did.

Ryan said...

Terri, thank you so much for opening up my mind to really looking at the characters in art who are not as defined. I think this was a wonderful post and it has put some other ideas into my head for posts next year.

Melissa (My World...in words and pages) said...

Oh this is really neat! Thanks for sharing this with us. :)

Staci said...

I really enjoyed reading this post about the picture. It does make one wonder about her!