Refshaleøen. The Copenhagen Harbour 1907

Edvard Weie made this painting of The Copenhagen Harbour with oil on canvas, but the year is unknown. The colour palette is muted, almost monochromatic, dominated by grays and browns that evoke a sense of industrial melancholy. The paint handling looks pretty direct, like a process of recording the scene rather than obscuring it with artifice. Looking at the texture, you can see the brushstrokes, especially in the water. They give a sense of movement and life to an otherwise still scene, and add energy and vibrancy to what might otherwise be an austere industrial landscape. See how the strokes make the water feel choppy, almost agitated, contrasting with the stillness of the structures on the land. I can imagine the artist standing there, battling the wind and trying to capture the light as it shifts. The way Weie captures the smoke billowing from the factories reminds me a little of Turner, who I'm sure he studied. But I wouldn’t want to pin Weie down too much. What’s interesting is that Weie finds a way to talk about industry and its impact on the landscape without being didactic. He leaves room for ambiguity.