Ubekendt titel 1928 - 1938

Jakob Danielsen made this watercolour painting on paper at an unknown date. The palette is muted, like faded denim, a sort of melancholy twilight feel. It's all about the process, the flow of the water, the way colours bleed into each other to create this flat but somehow vast space. Look at the long horizontal strokes that make up the sea. They're not trying to trick you into thinking this is a photograph. Instead, they emphasize the surface, the thingness of the paint. It’s the kind of mark-making that makes you aware of the physical act of painting. You can imagine Danielsen holding the brush, feeling the pull of the water, losing control and finding it again. I'm reminded a bit of how Agnes Martin worked, this calmness and focus. But where Martin is abstract, Danielsen gives us a scene, a tiny boat with people, a whale spouting water. Art isn't about answers, it's about the questions we ask, the conversations we have.