Vavpotič's painting At the Windowfrom 1915 deals with the motif of a figure looking out of a window.
This subject became important in the third decade of the 19th century
among German, French, Danish and Russian artists. The window, which the artists
place at the centre of the composition, serves as a metaphor for unfulfilled
longing. Painters defined this feeling in their depictions of quiet interiors
with contemplative figures, often representing studios with artists at work and
open windows overlooking the city or landscape. The most widespread and popular
motif of this type was that of female figures depicted from the back in front
of a window. In such installations, the emotional state of the female figure,
whose face is not visible, can only be judged by the painted elements in the
space in which the artists placed her. More telling are the scenes in which the
artists allow us to see the female figure in profile.
Vavpotič's composition is realistically descriptive. The woman's
posture, her anachronistic costume and the anxious gaze out of the window,
while imbuing the painting with nostalgic historical references, depart from
the traditional romantic impression. The profile of the painted lady reveals
the direction of her gaze. The female figure is not looking out of the window
at the cityscape and beyond it at the endless untouched nature, which in the
first half of the 19th century signified a longing for a happier present and
future.
Perhaps Vavpotič has deliberately, almost theatrically, staged a motif
with historical content in this painting in order to conceal the real message.
The window slats create a net that keeps the female figure inside and in the
past. The painter uses an elegant detail to show us the obscured cause of this
situation.
6 February – 5 March 2025
National Gallery of Slovenia
Prešernova 24
1000 Ljubljana