D.Kalniņš's painting – All in One Boat

Painting: “All in the same boat”

Technique: Oil and acrylic on canvas
Size: 146 × 111 cm
Year: 2018

Artistic perspective

Dzintars Kalniņš's painting "All in the Same Boat" reveals a mysterious and peculiar world in which people and animals are united not only in space, but also in spiritual mood. The ironically muted color scheme and the characters' gazes invite reflections on togetherness and strangeness at the same time. The surreal, slightly comical mood in the painting coexists with a noticeable pain and alienation.

The artist uses the advantages of both oil and acrylic paints – acrylic gives the surface a lively expression, while oil brings softness and spatiality. This technical combination allows for the creation of a depth effect and a visually saturated surface in the work, in which static images acquire their own inner rhythm.

Interpretation of the name

The title “All in One Boat” seemingly offers a simple metaphor – about togetherness, a similar fate or life path. However, looking at the characters in the painting – four human-like figures and one speckled, human-sized bird – it becomes clear that this unity is more complex. The boat here becomes a symbolic space where silence, non-meeting and loneliness reign. Is this “boat” a society, relationships, or human existence itself?

The title ironically suggests solidarity, but the painting questions how real this togetherness is. It has a distant closeness – like in a play of the absurd, where the characters live side by side but speak their own language.

Shapes and structure

The painting balances on the border between figurative and symbolic composition. The figures are simplified, as if drawn from memory – with pale facial features, blurred contours and empty gazes. Their posture and arrangement in a row create the impression of standing on a stage or court bench.

The color palette – muted gray-blue, red, and brown – gives the painting a subtle melancholy mood. The bright flags arranged above the figures visually contrast with the static nature of the figures, creating a tension between apparent solemnity and inner emptiness.

Context and time of creation

Created in 2018, the painting “All in the Same Boat” embodies Kalniņš’s ability to create multi-layered meaning through seemingly simple means. It is an ironic and at the same time compassionate reflection on human relationships, collective existence, and inner loneliness.

A painting is both an aesthetic object and a call to thought – about coexistence, understanding, and the silence between words. It speaks both intuitively and intellectually, attracting the eye with its imagery but remaining in the mind with the mystery of its meaning.

View painting

To view an image of the painting, please visit this Instagram link:
Instagram – Everyone in the same boat

About the author

Read more about Dzintars Kalniņš here.