Personal Space – Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton Township, Trenton, New Jersey

Preston Metcalf, Chief Curator of the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, California, points out that this painting tells a sad story of unrequited love. The train of longing starts with a man whose head is peeking out from behind another man to the right of the center of the painting. In following his gaze, it is clear he is looking at a woman who is looking at another man, looking at another woman. The train continues until the final woman can be seen looking at her pet dog. "Everybody is looking at their love and none of them are looking at each other," said Metcalf. "It’s a very sad painting about disassociation, about loneliness. … Everybody looks happy, but nobody is connected. These are symbols of love too aren’t they? Symbols of unrequited love. Sometimes the symbol is not an object. Sometimes the symbol is the position of the people. Sometimes the symbol is the story that the painting or sculpture tells and we have to be in tune with it. Don’t be afraid to look at a painting and read it the way you would a book and say it may not be spelled out but what are they really doing? Follow the lines. You’ll be surprised at how many stories you can unravel."