Painted photographs by A.M.Rousseau from an abandoned mansion in upstate New York.

From the introduction



The image is of dark and light.

The representation is of something "alive,"

bursting with an unnamable force that can’t be suppressed.



A figure in motion whorls before an open door.

She is as a star shattering.



Light shines from behind the door.

A black cloth, also in motion,

covers the upper part of the body

making an abstract shape like a ship’s sail,

or the wing of a bird.



One foot lifts slightly off the floor.

All the weight of the motion rests on the other foot.



There is a window at the back.

A second unseen window on the right lets in a brilliant light

casting a shadow on the opposite wall.



Everywhere, white and grey marks fly out in a chaotic pattern

like a million minnows swimming in the room.

They swim not in water, but in air.



Everything about the marks mirrors

the gesture of the figure and amplifies the intensity.















The marks have a life of their own.

They are as vital as the figure.

Maybe more so.



Their direction and energy a reflection of a dance,

not of death, but clearly of life and light.

The thing that wants to live.



That is why light shines in through the windows.

The door opens.



It is an invitation.

A beckoning.



The image: a welcoming of everything

that is intemperate, excessive,

incapable of restraint.