Why are we willing to pay more for a view?
Why is it preferable to gaze at the sea rather than a cement wall?
The idea of freedom and possibility - without actually having to move an inch or break a sweat.
If we want to, we can go out, move into that view, into the promise it makes.
But we don’t have to risk it to enjoy it.
We can stay safely inside - and dream.
Windows with views in art tell multiple stories - about the in- and outside. And therefore are a much used and powerful visual element in painting and photography.
Raoul Dufy, Window opening on Nice, 1928, Shimane Arts Museum
In ‘Window on Nice’ Dufy even adds a mirror, cleverly spaced between two large windows looking out on Nice, to reflect more of the interior and, in a way, keep us inside. Munch, on the other hand, uses the view as contrast. The cool snowy trees juxtapose the fiery red of the painter’s head. Here, it is not the bright mediterranean sea that beckons us but the cold.
Edvard Munch, By the Window, 1940, Munch Museum, Oslo
Today, look for windows with a view - whether in real life or in art.
Capture both frame and vista - inside and out (whether promising or distressing).
And do share your framed views on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #kramerseye.