CARL HOLSØE. Interior with mirror and chair.

CARL HOLSØE. Interior with mirror and chair. Oil on canvas, 51 x 43 cm, including frame 70 x 65 cm. Signed C. Holsöe lower right. Ever since his debut Carl Holsøe has brilliantly captured the essence of the Nordic serenity in his refined manner, making him one of the most admired Scandinavian painters of his time. Holsøe’s tranquil and elegant interiors evoke a sense of stillness and timelessness in which his paintings almost become memories of an everlasting ethereal moment. The room is illuminated by the natural light coming from two large windows. The artist invites us to an everyday moment in his beautifully decorated home. The fascinating imagery of Carl Holsøe was the result of years of education at the foremost institutions in Denmark. Born and raised in the town of Aarhus, Holsøe eventually continued his studies in Copenhagen where he enrolled at the Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi, studying under the famous Peder Severin Krøyer. His fellow students at the academy included Vilhelm Hammershøi and Peter Ilsted. These three artists found matching interests and were soon thereafter about to form the new elite of the Danish painters. The former generation with artists like P.S. Krøyer and Anna & Michael Ancher, had been highly appreciated for their plein air impressionist approach on the Danish countryside and everyday life in the village of Skagen. The Skagen painters cleared a path for Holsøe and his friends, who in return focused their motifs to the interiors and suggestive ambiance inside the homes of the Danish people. With an artistic ancestry rooted in the formal traditions of the Dutch Golden Age and inspired by masters like Johannes Vermeer, Pieter de Hooch and Gerard ter Borch, Holsøe’s interiors are contemplative and still, sometimes with a figure caught in their own reverie. Both Holsøe and Hammershøi frequently used their wives as muses and models in their paintings, however the identity of the woman was always concealed. Either depicted from behind or with her head turned away from the viewer, her presence stresses the painting’s haunting tension of curiosity. Inviting us to the family’s very private rooms creates an intimacy, like we are secretly visiting a place that we should not really have access to. The beautifully decorated rooms, very often painted in a light colour palette of white, grey or beige nuances enhance the elegance of the appreciated humble Scandinavian interior design. The characteristic shimmering light reflects in the specifically chosen objects, like the transparent white curtains, the mirror, the silver object on the table and the colourful flowers. The constant play of light and shadow, of brighter and darker colours, inspired Holsøe throughout his life. The perfectly balanced composition with the peaceful environment in a quiet moment of true harmony has been captured by the artist in an eternal serene moment.

Vedi tutti gli oggetti diStockholms AuktionsverkoArte, Pittura e Arti Grafiche