In this digital painting, created from a self-made photograph, we see a man who has taken refuge in the silence of a night café. He sits at the front, languidly leaning back, as if he has been caught between two thoughts. The warm glow of the lamps contrasts with the cool tones of the interior and lays a melancholic calm over the space.
Behind him, almost unnoticed, sits another customer. Alone at a table, engrossed in his own world, he emphasises the atmosphere of loneliness that often hangs in night cafes. Together, they tell a wordless story: two people, each on their own island, connected by the same space and the same hour.
The work captures exactly that atmosphere Edward Hopper once managed to depict so masterfully: the quiet moments when time seems to stand still, and the casual presence of others is nothing more than an echo of your own thoughts.
Created by Geert Van Baelen with support from AI.
Geert Van Baelen has been working as a press photographer in Belgium for over 20 years. Besides current affairs, he also finds inspiration for his images in everyday life, landscapes and people... Read more…