Simply..back briefly....

17/7/2023

to Copenhagen.

We visited the Herschsprung Collection. I think it was the day we used the Hop Off Hop On bus, or was it the day we walked 20,207 sterps?

I especially wanted to see the works by Willhelm Hannershoi which I had only seen in reproduction. He has been likened to Vermeer. The enigmatic images of empty rooms, the back view of figures, or light coming through a window intruiges me and I liked this text which was displayed beside the few paintings by the artist. Is he painting silence? Loneliness? Cerainly introspection, particularly in his self portraint.

IMAGES OF THE SOUL

Can you paint what cannot be seen? Can you paint pictures of souls? At the end of the nineteenth century, many artists tried. They opposed naturalist art, which they saw as superficial. Today we call them Symbolists. Vilhem Hammershoi's pictures exude silence....the perfect picture must be a symbol of something deeper.

7 Comments

Mary B

18/7/2023 07:18:14 am

I'm always delighted when you to pop back to Copenhagen in your posts ! Very interesting links thank you . I think there are often elements of "things that cannot be seen" in paintings . I also discovered that Michael Palin did a BBC documentary about Hammershoi and his paintings , that is available to watch on YouTube. Haven't done so yet but thought it might be interesting.

Freda

18/7/2023 02:09:43 pm

I am sure it will be, and I’m going to watch it tonight!

Susan inDorset

18/7/2023 10:28:08 am

Thank you very much indeed for introducing me to him, Freda.
I relish the stillness in his paintings, the ethereal light, the placement and pose of the subjects, and the views thorough into distant rooms.
I do think that people can paint what cannot be seen, especially when following intuition rather than intellect.

Freda

18/7/2023 02:11:23 pm

Once seen, never forgotten. So, powerful in a very quiet way.

Rosemary

18/7/2023 01:50:32 pm

Thank you for this post.
I have a Willhelm Hammershoi print on my landing. It is of the back view of a woman, seen through an open door. I imagine her unseen occupation to be one of those countless fleeting ways in which married woman used to pass their days and lives. It reminds me of my mother whose life, as I remember it, seems to have been made up of little more than these brief, busy moments. I see her in back view, everlastingly engaged in keeping the house and the family going.

Freda

18/7/2023 02:12:45 pm

What a lovely description of your response to the painting. I find they really engage my attention and imagination.

Gillian Thompson

20/7/2023 06:36:44 am

I also love the work of Hannershoi. I saw the Michael Palin programme about him years ago and was very impressed. I'm pleased to know it is on Youtube and will watch it again asap.

Simply..back briefly....

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