Torvmyr 1895

Editor: So this is "Torvmyr" by Kitty Lange Kielland, painted in 1895. It's an oil painting, and looking at it, I immediately feel this immense sense of stillness and also of weight due to the stormy sky. What structural elements stand out to you in this painting? Curator: The weight you perceive is interesting. Note the dramatic contrast between the verticality of the looming sky and the horizontal emphasis of the land. The dark, heavy clouds dominate the upper two-thirds of the canvas, creating a visual pressure. What effect does that disproportion yield in the pictorial space, do you think? Editor: Well, I see what you mean – the sky's mass makes the small strip of land feel even smaller, highlighting, perhaps, our human insignificance within nature. And the dark color contributes to a sense of being overwhelmed. How does she use line in the composition? Curator: Kielland employs a masterful use of implied lines. Notice how your eye is drawn along the meandering stream, a sinuous form that cuts through the marsh. The placement guides the eye to the implied horizon line, that thin, blurry area where the land meets the sky and seems to disappear, doesn’t it? Observe as well the placement of pigment, almost crude in its hurried arrangement, yet effective in the representation of reflected light upon water. Editor: Yes, now I see it. It subtly divides the composition and yet offers a sense of infinity and an uncertain endpoint in its blurry conclusion. Thanks, I noticed some techniques I did not recognize before! Curator: Indeed, recognizing the artist's deployment of form provides for a greater understanding and appreciation of their technique. A closer look is always rewarding.