I met Ophelia in a subway train in Prague. I was reading a book and suddenly a young foreign girl with a long brown hair, dressed in an old mustard yellow coat, asked me if we were going the right way. I said yes and then she asked me what was the book about and I said it was too complicated to explain and she asked me if I was a complicated person and I hesitated and then the train stopped and she said this is me, bye and she got off the train. That night I came home and wrote this portrait.

THE PORTRAIT OF OPHELIA’S COMPLICATED QUESTION

Are you a complicated person? Is this question complicated? Is another question making it complicated? Am I making it complicated? What it is that I’m making it complicated? Giving questions? Can I ask you again? What if I asked you the first question? Would we get back to the beginning so we could start again? Would we begin again or would we start again? Would we begin again or would we just begin? Would it be the one beginning or would it be the other beginning? Would it be different or alike so if it would be different it would not be the same and if it would be alike it would be not very the same too? Do you think it would be the same? Would it be the same with no difference? Do you think there is not even a small difference? Which beginning it is that it makes it with no difference? If we would begin or begin again?

Would it be the one beginning or would it be the other beginning? Do you see the difference between them? What would  be the same beginning, when we begin again or when we just begin? When we say it would be the same beginning, would it be the one beginning? So we would not say it would be the other beginning? And when we say it would be the same beginning so the one beginning would just begin so would it be not the other beginning that would begin again but it would be the one beginning that would just begin? What would we have if we had the one beginning and the other beginning beginning not just beginning or not beginning again but both beginnings so beginning and beginning again?

Would we have two beginnings which each sounds not the same but you say we say when we say we would have the one beginning and the other beginning not just beginning or not beginning again but both beginnings beginning the same so both beginnings would be the same beginnings with not even a small difference between both begin or begin again so they both would not be different or not even alike but both beginnings would be the one ones? Does it mean that the one beginning would be just beginning and not beginning again because if it was beginning again there is that again so it would begin again and so we would have two beginnings the one beginning and the other beginning?

Since we say the one beginning is the same as the other beginning and so the other beginning is the same as the one beginning, does it mean the one beginning is the same as the other beginning so if the other beginning is beginning the same as the one beginning we can say the other beginning has been the one beginning since its beginning? And if the one beginning is beginning the same as the other beginning, can we say the one beginning has been the other beginning since its beginning? So If we had two beginnings would be both the one ones or both would be the other ones?

Are you saying they both are the same? The one beginning and the other beginning are the same? The other beginning can begin as the one beginning? Would it be the other one one? So it is the same one as the one? So both these beginnings have just begun and not begun again so we have now two the one beginnings that are not different and not even alike but are the same?

When have I asked you the one question? Some time ago?

Some time has already passed since the one beginning has begun and since we have been saying what if we said when we say if I would ask you again the complicated question that has been already done as the one so would we have now the other one than the one before as it was the one, the one one as it was after none which was before the one was the one one after the none as the none one was gone so the one one was none of the any none one as before so after some time would we have the one which means the one one and I mean now none of any second one, none of any other one that has not been done yet as the one but when we say it has, would we have now the other one done and the one that was done before some time would be gone?

So have you been talking about only one beginning all the time? Have you been having all this conversation with me only about the one beginning all the time? Have you been having all of this conversation with me only about the one beginning saying the one is the one and it is done after none as well as this one would be gone after the other one was done but still considering there would be two beginnings and saying both would be the one beginnings or both would be the other beginnings or the one beginning would be the other and the other would be the one beginning so speaking of you saying you say when we say if I asked you the complicated question that has been already done as the one, the other one would be exactly the same one with no difference with not even a small difference, they would be both the same, both the same the same as they both would be the one and the one which is two, which is certainly two, they would be the same, they would begin or begin again but they are two and let say the same but they are two which is one and one which is done after the one and you say the one is gone as the none one before there was any one one done so we have now only one because it was done after the one which is now gone so I ask you again have you been having this all conversation with me only about the one beginning all the time? And you are still saying there is not even a very small difference? So you are saying they are both the same so they are two because both means two but you are still saying there is only one? Why? Because there has been still only one? Because I still have not asked you the complicated question? So would it be complicated if I asked you again? Are you a complicated person?