Someone else’s misfortune

“The only consolation to me is someone else’s misfortune.” This quote from “Contradictions,” a novel written by Yang Gwi-ja, may come across as a cruel remark, but it is a brutal truth that many feel better about themselves when they look around and find someone who seems unhappier. Nineteenth-century Danish artist Frants Henningsen is famous for his works describing miserable folks.

Although impressively skilled at portraits, landscape paintings, and animal paintings, he earned great fame thanks to “A Funeral,” painted in 1883. A family wearing black clothes walks to a funeral home on a snowy cold day. Two little children holding their hands tight take the lead before a young lady walking assisted by an old man. The woman, seemingly pregnant, looks pale. It is the funeral of her husband and the children’s father. For some reason, the deceased man seems to have no friends or relatives to attend his funeral but his family. Already saddened by her loss, she may be left at a loss, grappling with the thought of having to support the three children on her own. Her aging father will give her a hand, but he also looks dazed and confused at this moment.

The graveyard depicted in the painting is located in Copenhagen. The artist might have thought out all the elements that make their misfortune noticeable and dramatic, including gloomy wintry weather, a funeral attended only by the family, and a woman looking pale. All of these features aggravate tragedy and desperation.

In the middle of the painting are two eye-catching men looking at the family from a distance. This is how the artist leads everyone else to take a bystander's perspective. Once released, the work gained immediate acclaim and fame, leading it to become part of the National Museum of Denmark.

Comparison is the shortcut to most of the misfortunes you may grapple with. Comparing yourself with others who are better off or more successful will only lead you to greater misfortune. The reason why this painting was well-received by many people may be that it gave them a profound consolation. The artist might have drawn it to tell us that you should look around those in despair and appreciate the value of happiness.