Resurrection 1906

Magnus Enckell made this dreamscape, Resurrection, with what looks like watercolour and crayon, and right away you can tell that for Enckell, art is about the process. It’s interesting how the figures seem to emerge from the ground, earthy hues barely lifting into spectral forms. Look at the way some of the shapes are outlined and filled, while others are just suggested with a few strokes. There’s something so tender about how each individual is rendered, like a memory or a half-forgotten dream, you can see that they're all painted using the same muted hues. Then you spot the blues and the whites, so soft, they almost don't want to be seen. This makes me think of Odilon Redon, with his ghostly figures and dreamy landscapes. Maybe both artists were onto the same idea: that art is a way to embrace the stuff we can’t quite put our finger on.