Nancy Bea, thanks for looking in! I always look forward to your unique insight. I like the way you point out the broad conceptual issues behind the portrait. Probably one reason why you and I have such long conversations is that we're constantly seeing dualities and contradictions (or apparent contradictions). Now that you point them out, I see that they are indeed woven into the making of this painting.
And I'm so relieved it's not kitschy
Julie, thanks, I appreciate hearing your reaction. The contrast between youth and middle age was definitely in my mind, and also the continuity of life between those times. You mention the effect of "seeing through" the figures. I was wondering whether anyone would notice, i.e. whether my attempt at painting this was at all effective. There are a lot of reflections of coastline in the different layers and angles of glass, plus coastline that is actually viewed through the glass, and I was trying to paint them in an ambiguous way so that the young figure would almost become transparent, as if his time layer was not quite solid.