Author Topic: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi  (Read 60751 times)

Offline Meryl

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Re: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi
« Reply #20 on: October 19, 2010, 11:12:43 pm »
I believe it is a small mirror, but rather than keys, hanging from it are clothes brushes.  Presumably, one would brush off of one's coat or hat before leaving the house.  Such an old-fashioned thing! 

Here's something similar: 

But that is what strikes me about the Twist house:  everything is so old, older than Jack's childhood.  The furnishings look like they date to the 20s or 30s, maybe even earlier.

I've often wondered what that was hanging on the wall to the left of the door.  The clothes brush hanger makes sense.  It looks like the kind of antique you'd find at country antique markets or stores out West.

You make a good point about how old the furnishings of the Twist house are, Paul.  They contrast nicely with the furnishings of Jack's house in Texas.  The window in that Texas living room illuminates quite a different picture of family life.
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Offline Penthesilea

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Re: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi
« Reply #21 on: October 20, 2010, 05:02:37 am »
One very small question. Can anyone identify what is the object fixed to the wall to the left of the door as you look at the door? You can see it quite clearly in the screencap of the living room that Andrew posted just above. Is it something for hanging coats? I assume the black circle on the other side of the door is OMT"s hat as Ennis's creamy/white one can be seen upside down on that little table by the door.


Paul is right, it's an old-fashioned thingie with a small mirror and clothes brushes. You can see it quite clearly when Ennis leaves the Twist house:




In this one, you can see the object and the hat behind Ennis pretty good:


Offline Penthesilea

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Re: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi
« Reply #22 on: October 20, 2010, 07:47:20 am »
One way of approaching the Hammershoi-like starkness of the Twists' living room with its single wall decoration of a cross and its diffuse lighting, is to contrast this with what we find above in Jack's bedroom.

There, the room has colours and a very varied collection of "things". There's the colourful bedspread and pillow on the single bed - note the reds - the desk with its toys and a rather crude, framed painting of cowboys herding cattle above, (could it be by Jack?), the rifle on the rack, the dresser with the baby boots, clock and covered wagon on top and another painting half seen above, Jack's clothes, and, of course, finally, the shirts. The net curtains are not closed in this room but open, allowing natural light to fall  and, of course, the window opens, allowing access to the natural world outside.

I'm not sure where such a contrast might take us but it's undoubtedly there, so I thought it was worth noting.

You're right with the starkness and lightning of the Twist living room, but there are far more than a single wall decoration:

- There's the old fashioned clothes brushes object, as seen above.
- There's a small rack/shelf in the right hand corner (right side from OMT's POV, when you face the door).
- A photograph to the right of OMT.
- Next to the photo is a very basic lamp.
- Another small mirror behind OMT.
- A small, white unidentyfied object to the left of OMT.
- Plus the well-known cricufix

Makes seven wall decorations at least. Eight, if you count the hat. Plus, there's other stuff/nippes lying around (two objects under the window to OMT's right for example, and a standing lamp).









What IS this? Left side, above the bucket with cleaning utensils. Looks almost like a household sized stoup. You can see them in catholic homes in Bavaria, for example. Do Catholics in the US also have those little stoups?
We know that Mrs. Twist is Pentecostal, which brings me back to my question: what the heck is this?

Offline southendmd

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Re: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi
« Reply #23 on: October 20, 2010, 08:17:36 am »
Super screencaps, Chrissi. 

I have no idea what a "stoup" is, but the thingie above the bucket looks like a match holder, also a very old-fashioned thing.

Here's what they look like: 

Offline Penthesilea

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Re: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi
« Reply #24 on: October 20, 2010, 09:02:15 am »
Thank you Paul :).

A match holder - yes, that must be it! A stoup wouldn't make sense, that's why I asked.

A stoup is a container for holy water (at least that's what my dictionary says). There are the big ones in churches, but there are also small ones who hang in the homes of people, on the wall, near the door, so you can easily use it when coming in. Mostly in living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms. The basin for the holy water is very small, you can only put your finger tips in it.
They come in many shapes:

   


Sorry for the brief OT. Back to the Twist ranch.

Offline chowhound

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Re: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi
« Reply #25 on: October 20, 2010, 01:41:41 pm »
You're right with the starkness and lightning of the Twist living room, but there are far more than a single wall decoration:

- There's the old fashioned clothes brushes object, as seen above.
- There's a small rack/shelf in the right hand corner (right side from OMT's POV, when you face the door).
- A photograph to the right of OMT.
- Next to the photo is a very basic lamp.
- Another small mirror behind OMT.
- A small, white unidentyfied object to the left of OMT.
- Plus the well-known cricufix

Makes seven wall decorations at least. Eight, if you count the hat. Plus, there's other stuff/nippes lying around (two objects under the window to OMT's right for example, and a standing lamp).









What IS this? Left side, above the bucket with cleaning utensils. Looks almost like a household sized stoup. You can see them in catholic homes in Bavaria, for example. Do Catholics in the US also have those little stoups?
We know that Mrs. Twist is Pentecostal, which brings me back to my question: what the heck is this?

Indeed, Penthesilea, there are more objects on the wall than the cross. But in describing it as a wall "decoration", I was implying a distinction between what is "decorative" and what is "functional". For me, the "functional" objects on the wall are:

         -the clothes brush
         -lamp
         -mirror
         -rack/shelf
         -hat
         -match box

For me, the "decorative" objects on the wall are the cross and the photograph.

This is in direct contrast to Jack's room where almost all the objects, whether on the wall or not, are "decorative" rather than "functional".

Offline Marina

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Re: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi
« Reply #26 on: October 20, 2010, 01:56:00 pm »
This is one of the most interesting threads - the scenes in Jack's room and home were some of the most heartbreaking and intimate.   There are so many details, big and small, that are thought-provoking in this film.  Does anyone know who the movie actor in the photograph on Jack's bedroom wall was?

I also enjoyed reading the oceans thread linked to this one.   I also had some of these thoughts about the ocean, and I couldnt' figure out why, it must be because of Ennis' surname "Del Mar" - oceans, waves of grain, big blue sky, all the blues in the film.  It's so interesting that we've thought of these things.  :)
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Offline southendmd

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Re: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi
« Reply #27 on: October 20, 2010, 02:35:56 pm »
This is one of the most interesting threads - the scenes in Jack's room and home were some of the most heartbreaking and intimate.   There are so many details, big and small, that are thought-provoking in this film.  Does anyone know who the movie actor in the photograph on Jack's bedroom wall was?

From the story:  An ancient magazine photograph of some dark-haired movie star was taped to the wall beside the bed, the skin tone gone magenta.

In one version of the screenplay, the actor was Maximillian Schell.



I'm not sure there is a photograph in the film.  Chrissi, any screencaps?

Offline Marina

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Re: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi
« Reply #28 on: October 20, 2010, 02:39:27 pm »
Wow, thanks - I hope I didn't confuse the short story with the film!   There are so many details and I think sometimes we absorb them subconsciously too.  :)   Fun threads, these.
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Offline southendmd

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Re: The Twists' living room and the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi
« Reply #29 on: October 20, 2010, 02:42:15 pm »
I love the details too, Marina.

I agree about the subconscious absorption that happens.  It's like BBM has become a part of me.