The work's title, "In the purple wind", evokes memories of a childhood summer filled with dreamy fragments and innocent games. This painting takes the viewer back to summer holidays in the countryside. The canvas shows a wild flower garden full of purple flowers, stretched out next to a small house from a distant childhood memory. The field is bathed in the golden yellow light of the setting sun, while the sky slowly changes from an evening glow to the dark hues that welcome the stars.
The work features children running through the swaying grasses and flowers, but this is not directly depicted. Instead, the landscape invites the viewer to imagine these scenes. The children are playing hide-and-seek or swinging their nets to catch insects, as can be inferred from the vivid tracks running through the field. The purple flowers evoke memories of the thistles and violets they used to collect, and the yellow dots symbolise the fireflies and butterflies they were chasing.
The artist encourages us, through this painting, to remember the pure joy and connection with nature that we have forgotten as we age. The moment the field turns purple, the wind connects the past with the present, bringing back to our hearts the freedom and adventures of our childhood. Each time we look at the painting, our own youthful summer revives, allowing us to experience a timeless encounter with our younger selves.
Conceived by Chika Arai, visualized with AI.