This is my first time painting myself. You can see me has a bored expression . In today’s world, everyone is busy working, and after the pandemic, people seem to live and work like robots. On public transport, you can see faces filled with frustration and unhappiness.

In the reflection from the window, you can see me talking to a man. That man is Vincent Van Gogh. When I was young, I saw his ‘Starry Night’ and was inspired to become an artist. I wish I could talk to him, if he were still alive.

My painting is titled ‘A Listening Ear’ because Vincent was deeply depressed when he was alive. Few tried to understand him; there’s even an incident where he cut off his ear. Now, he’s left with just one. I wish I could have been there to listen to him, to understand him, even if he had just one ear to listen back.

*Eramnesia (eram-nee-ja) n. the realization of being born in the wrong time period and wishing to live in another.

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/van-gogh-ear-slash-motive-trnd/index.html