Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas
60 × 60 cm — Summer 2025, Galway, Ireland
By Patrick Loewen
While the World Looks Down is a tender reflection on love, presence, and the quiet rebellion of genuine connection. In a scene painted with bright contrast and emotional subtlety, two children — symbols of innocence and devotion — stand facing one another, untouched by the chaos surrounding them. The boy hides a bouquet of flowers behind his back, while the girl adjusts her hood, smiling shyly — a gesture that captures the fragile beauty of early love.
Around them, faceless figures stare endlessly into their screens, trapped in the endless scroll of digital escape. Against that backdrop of distraction and isolation, the two children represent something timeless — a love that doesn’t need validation, a joy that doesn’t need an audience.
Painted in Galway in the summer of 2025, the piece draws inspiration from Loewen’s lifelong relationship with his wife — a love that began in childhood and has remained the anchor of his life. Through its juxtaposition of innocence and apathy, While the World Looks Down reminds us that fulfillment isn’t found in the world we construct online, but in the moments we share face to face, heart to heart.
The message is simple yet profound: there are those who love, and those who scroll — and only one of them is truly awake.
Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas
60 × 60 cm — Summer 2025, Galway, Ireland
By Patrick Loewen
While the World Looks Down is a tender reflection on love, presence, and the quiet rebellion of genuine connection. In a scene painted with bright contrast and emotional subtlety, two children — symbols of innocence and devotion — stand facing one another, untouched by the chaos surrounding them. The boy hides a bouquet of flowers behind his back, while the girl adjusts her hood, smiling shyly — a gesture that captures the fragile beauty of early love.
Around them, faceless figures stare endlessly into their screens, trapped in the endless scroll of digital escape. Against that backdrop of distraction and isolation, the two children represent something timeless — a love that doesn’t need validation, a joy that doesn’t need an audience.
Painted in Galway in the summer of 2025, the piece draws inspiration from Loewen’s lifelong relationship with his wife — a love that began in childhood and has remained the anchor of his life. Through its juxtaposition of innocence and apathy, While the World Looks Down reminds us that fulfillment isn’t found in the world we construct online, but in the moments we share face to face, heart to heart.
The message is simple yet profound: there are those who love, and those who scroll — and only one of them is truly awake.
