Recurring themes like love, happiness, sadness, death, and loneliness have always been present in art. Loneliness, in particular, is a universal feeling that, when expressed in painting, allows us to connect with what we see, feel compassion for the figures we observe, and experience empathy. Often intertwined with sadness and melancholy, this emotion will also be reflected in some of the works we discuss here.

For Louise Bourgeois (Paris, 1911 – New York, 2010), isolation was essential to both an artist's life and their art. "Solitude, even prolonged solitude, can only be a great benefit. Your work may become harder than it was in the studio, but it will also be more personal," she wrote in a letter to her friend Colette Richarme. For Bourgeois, solitude was the most genuine form of artistic expression, which is why she emphasized the importance of time spent alone for artists and their creative growth.

"Solitude, even prolonged solitude, can only be a great benefit. Your work may become harder than it was in the studio, but it will also be more personal"

Going back in time, one of the most significant and representative masterpieces of Romanticism is Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich (Greifswald, Swedish Pomerania, 1774 – Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, German Confederation, 1840).

Friedrich was drawn to the idea of observing nature in magnificent and remote places, and doing so in complete solitude.

This is why the painting evokes a profound sense of loneliness. We see a figure with his back to us, standing before a vast, sublime landscape that makes the protagonist appear even smaller and more isolated.

Another work that powerfully conveys isolation and loneliness is Dans un café (L'absinthe) (1875–1876) by Edgar Degas (Paris, 1834 – Paris, 1917). In this impressionist painting, two figures—a woman and a man—sit in a café with glasses of what appears to be absinthe. Both are intoxicated, yet each seems to be in a different state of mind: the woman appears lost in thought, gazing slightly downward, while the man smokes and looks at his coffee with a certain skepticism.

This scene alludes to social isolation, depicting a moment where marginalization and loneliness are strikingly evident.

La Vie (1903) by Pablo Picasso (Málaga, 1881 – Mougins, 1973) is one of the most significant works from the artist's Blue Period. The painting is characterized by its blue and grayish tones, which evoke a deep sense of melancholy and sadness. Though the figures are together and share the same space, the atmosphere feels heavy, and there's a palpable sense of isolation and disconnection between them. They seem distant from one another, lost in their own thoughts. The characters' postures and expressions convey an inner emptiness, a sense of loneliness and suffering, reflecting an internal struggle that amplifies the mood of isolation.

The artist who most prominently explored this theme in his work is likely Edward Hopper (New York, 1882 – New York, 1967), one of the leading figures of American realism and among the first American artists to depict human isolation in the modern city. In Nighthawks (1942), Hopper portrays several people in a diner at night, who, despite being physically together, appear disconnected, giving a sense of little to no communication between them. This painting is a clear representation of urban loneliness, human isolation, and the emptiness of city life.

This painting is a clear representation of urban loneliness, human isolation, and the emptiness of city life.

Morning Sun, painted in 1952, depicts a woman alone in a room (inspired by Hopper's wife, Jo), seemingly lost in thought as she gazes out the window at the sunlight. The solitary figure, the room’s elevation above the street, and the completely bare wall all contribute to a sense of loneliness, desolation, and isolation.

José Manuel Ballester (Madrid, 1960) is a painter and photographer known for capturing spaces, silences, and moments of reflection. His works often highlight the absence of presences, portraying empty, metaphysical scenes where something is missing—either because it has departed or never arrived—creating a sense of unsettling voids. In his series and exhibition Espacios Ocultos (Hidden Spaces), Ballester presents a collection of paintings in which he digitally alters works by artists such as Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Goya, and Velázquez, erasing all the characters originally depicted.

By removing all living figures, he transforms the meaning of these pieces, turning them into empty spaces dominated by a profound sense of emptiness and loneliness, evoking strong emotional responses from the viewer.

In his recent exhibition Glimpses of Infatuation, held in February 2024 at Villazan New York, one of the gallery's artists, Jared Brook (Hungary, 1997), presented a series of ten paintings that subtly yet powerfully explore the stages of obsessive love. His works, infused with intimacy and raw emotion, convey a profound sense of loneliness. While two men appear in some of the paintings, there is a noticeable emotional distance between them.

His works, infused with intimacy and raw emotion, convey a profound sense of loneliness. While two men appear in some of the paintings, there is a noticeable emotional distance between them.

Suntur (Thailand, 1989), another of the gallery's artists and who will have an upcoming exhibition in November this year, creates striking works filled with drama, often depicting very small figures within vast landscapes. His pieces, marked by poignant and serene scenes, are characterized by a calm and passive approach. By placing small figures against expansive landscapes with endless horizons, he captures moments of contemplation and loneliness.

By placing small figures against expansive landscapes with endless horizons, he captures moments of contemplation and loneliness.

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