From a Collector's POV: "Serenity in Stillness" by Elise Mendell
What does it mean to see someone without knowing them? This painting “Serenity in Stillness” by Elise Mendell, opens that question immediately. There’s no face or expression here just posture and line, offering the shape of a figure without filling in with assumptions of who they are.
What I noticed first was how little it tells you. The painting doesn’t try to fill in the person. It doesn’t invite projection. You’re not offered a mood or emotion, although that can be implied by color pallet and body cues. But actually, all you’re given is the structure: the slope of the shoulders, the balance of the composition, the minimal linework. It’s the opposite of figurative work that aims to show personality. This shows privacy. For that exact intrigue, this piece is worth acquiring as a collector because it reframes what it means to be perceived. And that’s precisely what makes it valuable! I keep work like this because it shifts the pressure off being seen, and places it on how one chooses to be.
It reminds me of something I read in Iris Murdoch’s writing on moral attention, the idea that goodness isn’t about expression, but about clarity in one’s interior posture. To me this painting reflects that! It’s not trying to be accessible. It’s structured, private, and composed. That’s the kind of energy I want more of in my space. Not a figure I can read but one that knows how to hold its boundaries because to me it’s a lifelong skill I’ve been working on.
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