When the Norwegian artist Johan Christian Dahl completed Mother and Child by the Sea in Germany, his emotional life was in turmoil. Yearning for his native land, mourning the loss of his dearest ones, deploring his feeling of loneliness, Dahl poured in this painting his poignant sentiments regarding home and belonging. This painting, now located in Birmingham, a city remote from my hometown where I am currently based, leads me on a bitter journey of introspection.