Blue hour

In Blue Hour, Marjolein Rothman continues her exploration of light, perception, and the ways in which images emerge. The title refers to the brief twilight period just before sunrise or after sunset, when daylight takes on a deep blue hue and the world seems momentarily suspended between light and darkness. It is a transitional moment in which contours blur and what we see becomes less certain. Light emerges from the dark background and plays a central role in both the creation and interpretation of the image. Rothman's paintings capture a fleeting moment in which forms become visible through light. Each painting is completed in a single session, using broad brushstrokes and fluid movements that make the physical act of painting visible. This physicality is also present in the visual language itself, giving the paintings a sensory and bodily quality. The vegetation takes on an anthropomorphic character: leaves bend, fold, and unfold, sometimes resembling hands or body parts. Forms move between the botanical and the bodily, the recognizable and the abstract. What initially seems familiar may evoke different associations upon closer observation. Photography remains an important point of reference, not only because of the role of light but also because of its ability to capture a moment in time. In painting, however, Rothman leaves that moment open. The image remains in motion. In Blue Hour, the transitional space between light and darkness reflects both an inner experience and the uncertain state of today's world. This uncertainty can evoke fear and danger, but it also offers space to redefine things. At a time when images and meanings are increasingly presented as certain and unambiguous, Rothman is interested in the space in which an image, an idea, or a perception acquires meaning. Blue Hour moves within this in-between space, between what is and what might still become, leaving room for alternative ways of seeing and imagining new possibilities.