“The Sleeping Town,” painted in 1938 by the Belgian surrealist artist Paul Delvaux, is an oil on canvas artwork that resides within a private collection. The piece measures 135 x 170 cm and belongs to the genre painting category within the Surrealism movement.
The artwork depicts a somber, enigmatic scene characterized by its dream-like, surreal quality. In a desolate townscape under a moonlit sky, eerily still figures populate a deserted square. To the left, a man partially obscured by a building observes the scene. Nearby, cloaked female figures with exposed torsos stand and wander among lifeless trees and scattered rocks, hinting at themes of mystery and melancholy. In the background, grand but deteriorated classical buildings suggest an abandoned, ancient civilization. The overall atmosphere is one of haunting tranquility, evoking a sense of timelessness and suspended reality typical of Delvaux’s surrealistic vision.
