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The heroine's clutching ‘fingers’ resemble the teeth of an escape wheel. They seem to grip an invisible instrument, turning a horological detail into part of her mechanical anatomy.
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The mainspring barrel, the source of energy for the watch movement, becomes the Dormouse's ‘heart.’ Transmitting motion to the whole system, here it seems to sustain the very life of the sleeping heroine.
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Every jewel in the composition becomes part of the Dormouse's image: the artist gives her ears and open little palms ruby cores.
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The click and spring advance the calendar wheel one step at a time — this mechanical rhythm counts out the Dormouse's time, day after day.
About the exhibit
Konstantin Chaykin's painting depicts one of the characters from Lewis Carroll's ‘Alice's Adventures in Wonderland’, which formed the basis of an entire universe. In the painting, Chaykin reinterprets the image of the ever-drowsy Dormouse, who, despite her drowsiness, takes part in the dialogue between the characters during the Mad Tea Party. The artist finds in her actions a parallel with his own philosophy of time: regardless of external circumstances, time flows inexorably through its own Universum. On the canvas, Chaykin expresses this idea through the contrast between the heroine's dance and her defining trait — sleepiness. Chaykin translates the literary image of Dormouse into a Horological Archetype, and sleep ceases to be passive, becoming a form of life.
The contrast is also achieved through the colour palette. The background is painted in grey-blue tones, creating the sensation of immersion in sleep — a state in which time loses its usual linearity. Sonya's figure is rendered in dense ochre strokes, making the heroine stand out strongly against the background.
Chaykin creates the Horological Archetype by translating the details of a watch movement into the language of Horological Art. The wheels in the character's abdomen, marked with grey and ruby accents, refer to mechanical anatomy while preserving the emotional expressiveness of the character. Chaykin combines literary source material, movement and music, creating an archetype in which sleep and dance, precision and feeling coexist within a single image.
Cycle: Universum "Horological Zoo"
The contrast is also achieved through the colour palette. The background is painted in grey-blue tones, creating the sensation of immersion in sleep — a state in which time loses its usual linearity. Sonya's figure is rendered in dense ochre strokes, making the heroine stand out strongly against the background.
Chaykin creates the Horological Archetype by translating the details of a watch movement into the language of Horological Art. The wheels in the character's abdomen, marked with grey and ruby accents, refer to mechanical anatomy while preserving the emotional expressiveness of the character. Chaykin combines literary source material, movement and music, creating an archetype in which sleep and dance, precision and feeling coexist within a single image.
