What is Evidence
Not the fleeting bruises she'd cover
with make-up, a dark patch like the imprint
of a scope she'd pressed her eye too close to,
looking for a way out, nor the quiver
in the voice she'd steady, leaning
into a pot of bones on the stove. Not
the teeth she wore in place of her own, or
the official document—its seal
and smeared signature—fading already,
the edges wearing. Not the tiny marker
with its dates, her name, abstract as history.
Only the landscape of her body—splintered
clavicle, pierced temporal—her thin bones
settling a bit each day, the way all things do.
--Natasha Trethewey
Tyler Schroeder
La Louvre
2020
Ink and White Gouache on Watercolor Paper
22.25 x 29 13/16"
I based this off of a photo I took when I visited Paris back in November of 2019. I wanted this painting to feel like a memory that has faded with the passage of time. (In fact, it's my intention to make a mini-series of ink paintings based off my Paris vacation photos where I explore change and loss in memory.) However, I believe that this painting could also work in an exhibition like this. The quote is about finding inner peace and happiness in spite of the world going to chaos. The painting could be interpreted as looking inward for tranquility as there is a lack of detail on the faces of the people, even though the viewer could see that they are in "motion". When people find joy within themselves, the outside world doesn't always matter. It's also worth noting that when people find themselves in dark places, sometimes the only thing that keeps them motivated are happy memories or optimistic ponderings.