Silent / Quiet Monumentalism - Version 1 vs Version 2

Seated Figure - Top View (Study II)
Silent Monumentalism
Pieter Lategan, 2026

This post documents a controlled refinement process inside my framework of Silent / Quiet Monumentalism. The two images below depict the same solitary, inward-turned seated figure. The difference is not “style” or “mood” — it is discipline: what was removed, what was subordinated, and how the figure is allowed to hold presence without explanation.

Creation date: 15 January 2026
Author / Founder: Pieter Lategan

1) Version 1 — First Creation (Mapped Stillness) Seated Figure (Study I) Silent Monumentalism Pieter Lategan, 2026 Reading Stillness is present, but surface information arrives before mass fully settles. Description Version 1 establishes the core posture correctly. The body folds inward, the shoulders compress, and the figure carries weight without gesture or narrative. Structurally, the work qualifies as Silent / Quiet Monumentalism. However, it retains a higher degree of surface articulation—fine marks, mapping, or tracery-like detail—that slightly competes with the reading of mass. What Version 1 Does Well Clear compression through spine, pelvis, and shoulders Anonymous figure with no portrait logic Muted palette and contained spatial field Presence carried primarily through posture Why Version 1 Is Less “Silent” Surface marks compete with the perception of weight The eye is invited to read detail too early Silence is present, but partially annotated Version 1 establishes stillness through posture and surface;

2) Version 2 — Refined (Held Stillness) Seated Figure (Study II) Silent Monumentalism Pieter Lategan, 2026 Reading Mass and gravity arrive first; surface becomes subordinate. The figure holds presence without asking to be read. Description Version 2 is a disciplined refinement of Version 1. The posture remains unchanged, but the image becomes quieter through subtraction. Competing surface marks are reduced, tonal continuity is strengthened, and the relationship between figure and background is more restrained. The figure is no longer described; it is held. What Version 2 Improves Mass reads before detail Surface becomes secondary to structure Edges compress rather than outline Background recedes into architectural silence Why Version 2 Is More Silent Monumentalism Reduced visual noise; fewer interpretive hooks Stillness functions structurally, not atmospherically Restraint is achieved through control, not minimalism Version 2 allows stillness to be carried by mass, gravity, and restraint alone.

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What Changed — In One Sentence

Version 1 is stillness with more surface mapping; Version 2 is stillness held by tonal weight, where the figure exists without explanation.

The Silent Monumentalism Check

A useful test inside this practice is subtraction: if surface marks are reduced and the work still holds, then presence is carried by structure — not decoration. In Version 2, the figure remains inevitable even with less information. That is the core discipline of Silent / Quiet Monumentalism.

Next Step: Digital Study → Oil Painting

Version 2 is the stronger foundation for an oil painting translation. In oil, the goal is not to reintroduce line information, but to let paint thickness, edge control, and tonal compression carry the same inward weight.