Analysis of “An Inquiry” – Anton Chekhov [1883]

Other Titles:

“Spravka”

“Справка”

Characters:

Voldyrev – a country gentleman, landowner

A clerk

A porter

Voldyrev is a country gentleman who is in the city to inquire about the resolution of a case to which he is an involved party. The inquiry should not cost anything, but Voldyrev soon discovers that the clerk whose job is to provide such documentation would not bother himself with even acknowledging the presence of a client without first receiving his bribe – three roubles for the service. Dealing with government clerks proves to be a big hassle, and Chekhov sets the scene for this event with a perfect symbol – typhus: “Voldyrev coughed and went towards the window; there, at a green table spotted like typhus, was sitting a young man with… a long pimply nose, and a long faded uniform.”

Typhus is a sickness characterized by a purple rash, headaches, fever, and delirium – symptoms that can be attached to this situation by making a simple inquiry. There is something so unreal to the events that follow, once Voldyrev pays the three roubles, which resembles almost the state of delirium. The clerk becomes so polite and obliging, performing the service with such efforts, that Voldyrev is put in a great state of discomfort from the attention he now receives. This unexpected change in behavior confuses and overwhelms him so that he instinctively hands out another rouble as a way to conclude the transaction and to make the clerk go away.

“And the latter kept bowing and smiling, and took the rouble like a conjuror, so that it seemed to flash through the air.” 

Reflecting on “A Daughter of Albion” – Anton Chekhov

(Constance Garnett translation)

Other Titles:

The Daughter of Albion

Doch Albiona

Дочь Албиона

Characters:

Fyodor Andreitch Otsov – the district Marshal of Nobility (Предводитель дворянства)

Ivan Kuzmitch Gryabov – a landowner

Wilka Charlesovna Fyce – an English maiden lady in the house

There are stories that transcend time and space and speak to the modern-day reader with clarity and universality. And then, there are stories that stand distant from the reader. “A Daughter of Albion” is a challenge, at least for me. The time when it was written, the cultural background, the events described make the differences between the ages stand out, and the substance of the story is confounding, if not lost. I’ve been thinking about the characters and the conversations, and the bottom line is that I cannot quite comprehend the depth of the story. Or if I do, I need a reassuring confirmation that my interpretation catches the true elements and meaning of the story.

Otsov pays a visit to Gryabov. The rest of the family is out, but Gryabov is fishing in a near-by area with the English governess. She had been living in Russia for 10 years but speaks no Russian, which is difficult to believe. She is described as a young lady, which means that she must have been a teenager when she moved to Russia. It is very peculiar that she did not learn to speak the language at least a little at that young age when people adapt much easier to foreign environment. Furthermore, her second name is just as puzzling. Charlesovna, a daughter of Charles, signifying an English heritage, conjugated in a Russian custom “-ovna”. The name is deliberately modified to manifest the Russian influence.

During the entire story Gryabov insults the Englishwoman on her physical and mental features and faculties. However, he seems to be preferring her company and fishing rather than doing anything else, even though he cannot stop expressing his discontent with both.

“I can’t tell you how fearfully boring it is. It was the devil drove me to take to this fishing! I know that it is rotten idiocy for me to sit here. I sit here like some scoundrel, like a convict, and I stare at the water like a fool.”

He refuses to go have a drink with Otsov who came to visit, and there is an earlier mention that Gryabov missed some sort of holiday service to enjoy his hobby. There is certainly something strange about this cognitive dissonance.

My suspicion is that Gryabov is embarrassed in his feelings of loneliness. He tries to suppress it by acting in a manner that would make anyone present uncomfortable in his company. In his efforts to detract attention from what he really enjoys and what bothers him, he overcompensates by diverting the attention, with his ridiculous remarks, to the governess and her ugliness and stupidity. She is probably just as lonely in this land where she does not understand a word. Or, it is very likely that she understands Russian, but by pretending that she doesn’t, she refuses to become part of the mundane and insignificant way of living that is typical for the Gryabovs house.

Chekhov is extremely sparing in his hints of what the Englishwoman is thinking. This is what makes the story difficult to understand. She exhibits some form of disdain mixed with indifference for this loud and childish behavior, but this scale of emotions is too limiting for someone who has lived in such an environment for years. In addition, the story is named after her character. However, the reader only gets to know her through the questionable remarks of Gryabov.

Analysis of "The Trousseau" - Anton Chekhov

Other Titles:

“The Dowry”

„Приданое“

In this short story, the narrator visits a house three times throughout the years and reflects on the changes that had taken place within that household. Each visit is dominated by Manetchka’s trousseau preparation – the mother and daughter who live there are always busy making everything that a young woman would need once she is married. But Manetchka (the daughter) is not engaged; there is no sign of a young suitor in particular. In fact, the girl even gets embarrassed by the topic and “vows”, every time, that she will never marry. However, the narrator catches all the little hints in a young woman’s behavior that point to the opposite, her secret desire to have that in her future.

The story opens with a charming description of the house observed from the outside. The nature surrounding the place is the symbol of tradition. The previous generations have planted those trees and flowers, leaving their contribution to the life that occupies the house now. In a way, their trousseau was the efforts to build the foundation for a happy situation. But the occupants do not appreciate the beauty outside and confine themselves to the stifling inside of a home where they are too busy working toward an imagined future – the future that ironically never comes.

“It is only to the summer visitor that God has vouchsafed an eye for the beauties of nature. The rest of mankind remain steeped in profound ignorance of the existence of such beauties. People never prize what they have always had in abundance. What we have, we do not treasure, and what’s more we do not even love it.”

It seems that we are all making our own trousseaux throughout life, living with the expectations that the future will bring exactly what we dream of. But life is tragic and lonely. At least this is how Chekhov describes the circumstances of the characters in this short story. By the third visit, the young woman is dead. And the mother, whether by habit, insanity, or in loving memory of her daughter, continues with the work of the trousseau.

“’We are all alone in the world.’

And where was the daughter? Where was Manetchka? I did not ask. I did not dare to ask the old mother dressed in her new deep mourning. And while I was in the room, and when I got up to go, no Manetchka came out to greet me. I did not hear her voice, nor her soft, timid footstep…

I understood, and my heart was heavy.”

Pacific

Analysis of "The Death of a Government Clerk" (1883) - Anton Chekhov

(Constance Garnett translation)

Other Titles:

“The Death of a Civil Servant”

“The Death of a Clerk”

“Smert chinovnika”
"Смерть чиновника"

Characters:

Ivan Dimitritch Tchervyakov

Brizzhalov

“But suddenly… In stories one so often meets with this ‘But suddenly’. The authors are right: life is so full of surprises!”

And this is not to imply positive surprises, as the moral of this story teaches us. A government clerk dies after a few days of anxiety. While at the theater, Ivan Dimitritch Tchervyakov sneezed and bespattered a general that is not his direct superior, but important enough in the Department of Transport. Tchervyakov tries to apologize, but every time he attempts it, the general interrupts the apology, so the clerk never gets the chance to express his apology completely.

Every time Tchervyakov is cut off in the middle of a sentence, his anxiety rises to explain even more about the sneeze, then about the first unfinished apology, the second one, the first visit to the general’s house, the second visit… An innocent situation quickly becomes a ridiculous occurrence by constantly bringing up the incident. The story takes a satirical form, and the civil servant is reduced to a mere caricature.

But this type of portrayal is indicative of the despotic nature that defines the relations between clerks and their superiors. The theme of the chinovnik (clerk) illustrates the fear that exists for the clerk’s career and the complete surrender to the authority of the higher rank. The death of the clerk has a significant figurative meaning – gaining the disposition of this general means preserving the job, may be even receiving some types of career benefits; injuring this rapport means career suicide. Ironically enough, the clerk dies during this period of a severed relationship, symbolizing the loss of purpose and identity that are gone along with the job.   

Analysis of "A Classical Student" - Anton Chekhov

Other Titles:
"Случай с классиком"

Characters:

Vanya, a high school student

Vanya’s mom

Nastenka, Vanya’s aunt

Yevtihy Kuzmitch Kuporossov, the lodger

The story opens up with a scene describing the characteristics of a great performance anxiety experienced by young Vanya who was about to take his Greek exam. He has about every symptom associated with extreme nervousness (except a heart attack) – the throbbing heart, the terror of the unknown, the upset stomach…He resorts to payers, to kissing the holy images in the house, to superstitious rituals, such as giving a poor man two kopecks (cents) with the hope that fate and the universe will show mercy for this high-school student that day.

Unfortunately, he fails Greek despite all his hard work and getting up early to study all week. After he arrives home and informs his mom of the negative result, Chekhov describes a situation between this boy and his mother that reveals more than a conflict between efforts and expectations. It is apparent that Vanya’s mom had high hopes for her boy by enrolling him in a school that exceeds his intellectual aptitude. Vanya was trying to fulfill those expectations by devoting a lot of time in his studies that particular week, but the pressure of performance was too much. It was obvious in the story that the confusion Vanya experienced during the verbal exam stemmed from that pressure to get things right and from fearing failure, when in fact, he was aware of the mistakes he was making and their respective correct answers. To illustrate how awful his world was in the face of failure, Chekhov uses the mother character as its main element:

“No, it’s not you but I who am miserable, you wretched boy! It’s I that am miserable! You’ve worn me to a threadpaper, you Herod, you torment, you bane of my life! I pay for you, you good-for-nothing rubbish…”

For Vanya this was not the only exam he failed. From the terrible words of his mother, the reader gets the sense that he really does not fit in that school. The mother chose that school because it represents the ideals and the future she hopes to attain one day. She is criticized and ridiculed by her sister regarding these ideals:

“It’s not his fault! It’s your fault! You are to blame! Why did you send him to that high school? You are a fine lady! You want to be a lady? A-a-ah! I dare say, as though you’ll turn into gentry!”

It seems that the mother is fighting against another set of expectations. She wants to overcome the expectations set by society that everyone is born into a socioeconomic position and cannot break its barriers to move up higher – and perhaps, this should not even be attempted. Her efforts are failing just like Vanya is failing at that school.

From here, Chekhov moves the story in a direction that is quite thought-provoking, to say the least. As always, he does not disappoint in terms of using the typical ironic effects in his writing. The mother approaches the lodger, Yevtihy Kuzmitch Kuporossov, to ask him for a favor – to go punish the boy:

“My good friend… If you would have the generosity – thrash my boy for me… Do me the favour!... I can’t punish him, through the weakness of my ill-health… Thrash him for me, if you would be so obliging and considerate.”

Vanya submits willingly to the punishment. The mother accepts the constraints of her reality and makes a new resolution – to send the boy to a different school.

Reflecting on “An Enigmatic Nature” by Anton Chekhov

Other Titles:
"Загадочная натура"

I reread this story a few times, and each time I found the lady on the train more likable. She may be a gold-digger, miserable because of her own choices in life and in love, but her words were sober. I think I recognize a lot of people living their lives with the thought that there is happiness waiting for them in the future. The universality of the moral of the story does not pertain to finding the next rich husband, but to the ability to recognize that the time to enjoy life has arrived. It is now – not tomorrow, not in five years, etc. It is never perfect, and there is always something more that we want. But despite the deficiencies, the best outcome is when we recognize what we have and take time to enjoy it.

Of course, this does not mean that we need to give up on our goals. But some compromising can have its benefits. Regarding compromising when it comes to the next rich husband – well, the lady on the train has her own choices to make.

…And because my thoughts about this story lack a summary and analysis, here are a couple of quotes to illustrate the main theme:

“Poverty, the struggle for daily bread, the consciousness of insignificance – ah, do not force me to recall it! I had to make my own way…. And the agonies of losing faith in life, in oneself!”

“Happiness comes tapping at my window, I had only to let it in – but – Voldemar, listen, I implore you! Now is the time for me to give myself to the man I love, to become the partner of his life, to help, to uphold his ideals, to be happy – to find rest… Again there is an obstacle in my path! Again I feel that my happiness is far, far away! Ah, what anguish!”

The Prison Alcatraz

What is appealing to me about this photo is its resemblance to an aquarelle painting. It was a cloudy day, which I find very fitting for this subject.

Analysis of “At the Barber's” – Anton Chekhov

(Constance Garnett translation)

Other Titles:
"В цирульне"

Characters:

Makar Kuzmitch Blyostken

Erast Ivanitch Yagodov

Anna Erastovna (mentioned)

The story opens up with a description of a barber’s shop belonging to the young Makar Kuzmitch. He is portrayed as a hard-working man: opening up his shop early and trying to maintain everything clean. But the place is in such a need of remodeling that Makar’s efforts to keep it nice are lost. Chekhov hints that Makar is probably alone in the world. The death of his father is the only immediate family connection that is mentioned, which points to the assumption that the young man relies on nobody for help and support.

After setting up this type of background, Chekhov introduces Erast Ivanitch Yagodov who is Makar’s godfather. He is the epitome of a cold-hearted, insensitive, and self-absorbed person who is only concerned with attaining some sort of benefits from life – from getting a haircut for free to having his daughter engaged (against her will) to an affluent man.   

[Yagodov] “Now my hair’s coming out. The doctor says I must be shaved. He says the hair will grow again strong. And so, I thought, I’ll go to Makar. Better to a relation than to anyone else. He will do it better and he won’t take anything for it.”

[Makar] “I’ll do it with pleasure.”

Yagodov’s words confirm that the only reason he is going to his godson for a haircut is that the job will be done for free. Shaving a head can be performed by any barber without the slightest concern that the “hair style” will be ruined. It will, however, cost Yagodov money.

While Makar is working on Yagodov’s head, he hears the news that Anna Erastovna is engaged to be married. Anna is Yagodov’s daughter, and the reader finds out that she and Makar were secretly in love with the hope and intention to wed one day. Makar is shocked, and in his apparent devastation from the news, he pauses shaving Yagodov’s head.

[Yagodov] “Only, what sort of a match would you be, Makar? You are nothing of a match. You’ve neither money nor position, your trade’s a paltry one.”

But Makar possesses an endearing sincerity in his words that show a true human being behind his poor looks and dingy shop. From one paragraph the reader can reach down to his soul and understand the pain and sadness he is going through.

He cannot finish shaving Yagodov and asks him to leave. The next day, at Yagodov’s return, Makar kindly asks for a payment before he proceeds with the cut. Yagodov refuses.

“Erast Ivanitch has half his head shaven to the skin and looks like a convict. It is awkward to be left with a head like that, but there is no help for it… He regards it as extravagance to pay for having his hair cut and is waiting for the hair to grow of itself on the shaven side.

He danced at the wedding in that condition.”

One interesting symbol that is included in the story is the mirror that distorts the image of the person reflected in it. Makar is used to it and probably doesn’t even notice its terrible quality. Yagodov looks at himself and is pleased with his reflection. This symbol represents the illusions and the realities with which the characters live. Makar’s dreams and hopes are distorted into loss and disappointment, but just like the mirror, he will get used to the reality. And as far as Yagodov is concerned, he does not even see anything wrong with the distortion. He is pleased with everything he does without giving any regard to what he truly is in reality. 

Analysis of “A Living Chattel” - Anton Chekhov

(Constance Garnett translation)

Other Titles:

“Zhivoy Tovar” (1882)

“Living Merchandise”

“Living Goods”

“Wife for Sale”
"Живой товар"

Characters:

Elisaveta – Liza,

Grigory Vassilyevitch Groholsky – Grisha,

Ivan Petrovitch Bugrov – Vanya

Divided into three parts, this short story represents a more mature writing style for Anton Chekhov, even though this is one of his earliest works. Each part intrigues the reader with a complex plot development that follows the lives of three people and their subsequent love triangle.

It all begins with a scene informing of a secret love affair between Liza and Groholsky in which the two lovers are pondering the future of their relationship. Groholsky, a man in and out of love quite frequently, has finally found the woman he cannot live without. She is married to Bugrov who loves her very much as well, and it is suggested later in the story that his love had been tried four times before when young Liza presumably had experienced an infatuation with other men. When he interrupts a sad embrace between Liza and Groholsky, he understands the meaning of it immediately. A foreseeable jealous reaction ensues, which depicts the typical position and behavior of the male and the female in the family as dictated by the 19^th century Russian society:

[Bugrov to Liza] “Love your husband! You have been given to your husband, so you must love him.”

This sets the foundation upon which love is initially defined – love must follow the conventions and be obedient to commands. Love assumes the identity of its carrier – a husband, wife or mother. Love does not possess agency but is very deliberate and confined. In addition, a woman given to her husband must exact the orders regarding her feelings in a manner acceptable by rationale.

In these first paragraphs of the story, the confrontation scene between the husband and the wife does not stray from the stereotypical tyrannical cohabitation of a dominant male figure with an inferior female counterpart who is lacking the power to speak up, explain, defend, or even stand up and make a choice of her own. The husband is the authority that bestows forgiveness where even God cannot show mercy:

[Bugrov to Liza] “I forgive you for the fifth time, but I shall not forgive you for the sixth, as God is holy. God does not forgive such as you for such things.”

Groholsky’s entrance into Liza’s life represents an attempt to add a new layer to the definition of love. His suffering is enormous, and he is ready to end the secrecy and to do something about his relationship.

[Groholsky to Liza] “Love cannot bear anything vague or indefinite….I love you and a man in love is not fond of sharing. He is more than an egoist. It is too much for me to go shares with your husband. …Perfect freedom is an essential condition for love.”

This last sentence heightens the irony in the alluded symbiosis that exists between perfect freedom and love. The resolution to set Liza free from Bugrov comes at a price of 150,000 roubles. However, freedom does not come after the price is paid. The transaction is a mere transfer of ownership, which explains the title of this story.  

“Groholsky spread out all the money, and moved restlessly about the room, looking for the Dulcinea who had been bought and sold.”

The price offered to Bugrov to let Liza go is Groholsky’s way to appease his own guilt. He did try to blame fate for robbing Bugrov of his happiness, but even then, he was not able to escape the fact that he is the reason behind this difficult situation. He is very well aware of the harm he is causing by wrecking this family, and money is the only remedy he can offer as a compensation. However, the anxiety he experiences regarding the situation remains with him for the years to come, even during the times when he was leading a content life with Liza in Crimea:

“I am very happy, Liza, very happy indeed. My happiness is so great that I am really afraid of its destruction. The greatest things are usually destroyed, and do you know, Liza, in spite of all my happiness, I am not absolutely… at peace…”

It turns out that Groholsky is not the only one being uneasy about the current situation. Liza is miserable because she misses her son, Bugrov misses Liza, and Groholsky lives under the constant threat of his happiness being shattered. All these inner reflections start clashing in the second part of the story. Fate brings all the characters together when Bugrov rents a villa across from Liza and Groholsky. Frequent visits illuminate the past with a different light, and once again, the two men are brought to a new negotiation. Groholsky implores Bugrov to leave, and in exchange the former is willing to compensate the latter with 10,000 roubles – a humble amount enough to cover Bugrov’s new furniture expenses.

Bugrov accepts the price for a second time. Chekhov does not offer any explanation why the character agrees to it so easily, and the reader is left thinking that the only motivation is money itself. But in contrast to the first amount of 150,000 roubles, this second deal is so much less. It seems that Bugrov is becoming accustomed to never leaving empty-handed regardless of the amount. His first experience was a great deal introspective. He reflected upon the kind of life, happiness, and luxury he wanted for himself and his son, a symbol of which was the carriage he saw passing outside his windows. Therefore, Bugrov could not help but accept the price of 150,000 roubles with the hope of attaining that dream.

It is surprising that Bugrov agrees to the 10,000 roubles during the second negotiation. His actions are in opposition to his feelings. During an emotional outburst one evening, the reader gets a glimpse of Bugrov’s inner turmoil when reading his remorseful words:

“The Lord be our judge! I cannot think of sleep while I know that my wife is a slave… But it is not Groholsky’s fault… The goods were mine, the money his… Freedom for the free and Heaven for the saved.”

And yet, he takes the money once again. This kind of sale does not end here, however. There is another visit to Cremea where Liza lives, and this time, it is very clear that she is not happy with her situation. She wants to return to Bugrov. Her confession is overheard by Groholsky, and in his desperation, he approaches Bugrov for a third time – he offers him an estate in Tchernigov. And once again, the offer is accepted.

An ironic twist to the story is added when Liza runs away from Groholsky at night and returns to Bugrov. Groholsky squanders all his fortune, and being sick, ends up living with Liza and Bugrov in the same house. It is clear that Liza is trying to make a life with Bugrov, but Groholsky, seemingly suffering from a delusion, maintains his belief that Liza is still in a relationship with him.

As mentioned earlier, despite the criticism this story receives, the plot offers an interesting insight and thematic development that concerns love and relationships. The story also represents an early attempt for Chekhov to explore the novella style of writing, which he truly masters in his later works. 

Analysis of "A Naughty Boy" by Anton Chekhov

(Marian Fell translation)

In this story two young people who are in love, Ivan Lapkin and Anna Zamblitskaya, are constantly interrupted during their moments together by her little brother Kolia. A small kiss on the hand and on the lips exchanged by the young couple and witnessed by Kolia sets the beginning of an annoying ritual of bribing the little “rascal” with all sorts of presents so that he does not tell on them.

“But perfect bliss does not exist on earth, it often bears a poison in itself, or else is poisoned by some outside circumstances.”

On a first read, the ending of the story appears unfulfilling even when one reads:

“The pleasure depicted on the faces of the lovers when Kolia wept and begged for mercy was well worth seeing.”

The ultimate revenge of the couple is a mere immediate reaction by two people who are finally free to publicize their relationship through their engagement and therefore, able to deal with Kolia’s naughty behavior. Chekhov does not offer a clever way to punish the boy so that the reader gets the satisfaction with the moral of the story. He simply describes what the first action would be of people quite annoyed with the boy who was so persistent in his spying on them and extorting them each time for a bigger prize.  

Interestingly enough, the story opens up with a fishing scene where the young man makes his declaration of love for Anna, but during his emotional revelation, he is being interrupted by the fishing process. In the middle of his love message he interjects with instructions on what Anna should be doing and helping her with the catch of a nice perch. The motif of being interrupted achieves new heights with the inconvenient presence of Kolia everywhere Ivan and Anna wanted to share some moments alone. 

Analysis of “Rapture” by Anton Chekhov

(Peter Russell translation)

Other Titles:
"Joy"
"Радость"

All the excitement in this story stems from the fact that a young man, Dimitry (Mitya) Kuldarov, had his name mentioned in a newspaper article, and he is overwhelmed with joy that all of Russia will now know him. Although in reality this is an extraordinary event, the reason for being mentioned could be considered quite the opposite of extraordinary and even a bit embarrassing. But Mitya does not care under what circumstances his name is cited – he was drunk, slipped, fell and scared a cab-horse causing an accident; – his name is now shown side by side with the names of celebrities!

“A short time ago only you knew Dimitry Kuldarov, the clerical officer of the fourteenth grade, but now everyone in Russia knows me!... O God, I’m so happy! Only celebrities get their names in the paper.”

There is a certain charm about his simple interpretation of what this experience means to him. His reaction is honest, and the reader can feel its contagious effect. One can affectionately smile when imagining how the whole neighborhood will continually be hearing of this article for the weeks to come.

“Parents, you live here like savages; you don’t read the newspapers, you’ve no idea what’s going on and yet the papers are full of such extraordinary things!”

Through these words, Chekhov captures the psychology of the person that has found his fifteen minutes of fame when fame came so unexpectedly. Mitya Kuldarov tries to appear informed through a regular review of the press, but he probably read the newspaper for the first time that night in a long time, and it only happened because he was expecting the report of the accident to appear in the morning issue.

Just to recapture the chain of events: The accident happened on December 29^th at 11 pm. He arrived home really late, probably in the small hours of the night with the morning print of the paper in his hands. His own extraordinary experience reminded him that newspapers do contain extraordinary stories. But he only realized this now, and being caught up in his own fame, he saw himself as the person to enlighten the ones who are leading a simple life, the ones that are the generation of interpreting life only through superstition mingled with religion. For example, the mother could not comprehend an event such as this one without looking to her icon and crossing herself.

In the heat of the moment, Mitya even forgets that it is the middle of the night. He is resolved and excited to start making his rounds to the neighbors and share the news. Just like his parents, they will be ready to embrace Mitya’s excitement and probably pleased to have heard the story from his own mouth in the early hours of the new day. And it is very likely that this dramatic way of relating the experience will be welcomed for the sake of breaking the monotonous rhythm of their quiet lives and will justify the foregone hours of sleep.

Embarkment

Tonight I begin a new literary journey in the world of short stories written by Anton Chekhov. My goal is to follow the chronological order of their creation and to discover Chekhov's artistry through my own impressions, insights, and analysis. You are invited to join me in this journey and please, feel free to share your favorite quotes and moments from the stories.

Photography: In Paris

A few days spent in Paris. I wanted a picture that could take me to a time that I imagine, not to a memory. My trip was beautiful, but this picture makes me romanticize the city even more.

                                                                                                                                                           

Photography: Glass Exhibition

I love the color, the light, the numerous shapes of the figures, but what makes this photo so magnetic (for me personally) is the ability to transform my interpretation of it every time I look at it. And it vibrates with happiness.