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Henry #9 {art}
Apr. 19th, 2023 06:04 pm"This... is a baby. This is MY baby."
We hear Henry murmuring these words as we see him beginning to bond with this tiny new person, gently rocking her as she sleeps so soundly in peaceful trust of his care.
Henry's been grappling with the idea of becoming a father; before Annette's birth, we see him suffering from a nearly crippling anxiety which takes the form of insomnia, bizarre nightmares, and an intense obsession with Ann's baby bump. Even when he's making love to Ann while she's pregnant, we see him cradling the swell of her belly between his huge palms.
Of course, once Annette arrives, Henry's anxieties over the possibilities of impending fatherhood are replaced with the exhaustion and wonderment of it's reality. I loved that Leos Carax and Sparks took a few moments to dwell in that special liminal space just after a new baby's arrival; that first month really is a lot like you're in a tiny little pocket universe, full of feedings, diaper changes, more feedings, more diaper changes, and learning what all of those different tiny sounds and expressions mean.
This blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment comes just before we see it really sink in, suddenly, that this isn't just ANY baby, this is HIS baby. She really exists, and she's his to love, cherish, and nurture. His to protect, heaven help him, even from himself.
Photo used for reference was a screencap from "Annette" taken and edited by me. I departed from the reference when it came to the background; this particular era in their relationship always has iconographic elements to me, which I chose to lean into.
About 17 hrs of painting time; the color is the result of 6 overlay layers.
