The most narrative of the works — a scene rather than a portrait. A long yellow hallway recedes into the distance, lined with framed paintings whose subjects are recognisable from Montelli’s own practice. A woman in a blue sweater and yellow-framed glasses stands in the foreground, a corded telephone pressed to her ear, her expression caught between amusement and distraction. In the background, a child runs toward her through the corridor, arms out, full of energy. Wall sconces cast warm pools of light. The wooden floor reflects the hallway’s golden warmth. The paintings within the painting — their blues, their figures — create a rich self-referential world, a home that is also a gallery, a life that is also a studio. Oil on canvas, 2026.