Atelierinteriør 1945

Jakob Weidemann made this painting, Atelierinteriør, with oil paint, presumably in his studio. It's a tumbling, nearly-there scene. The paint is applied in these juicy, opaque slabs, all blocky and bright. Look at that white plane in the foreground. It's not just white; it’s alive with texture, fighting to exist on the surface. See how those hard black lines cut through the space? They don't so much define as disrupt, pulling your eye around the canvas. The palette is bold, yet somehow muted, like colors remembered from a dream. There's a yellow table, holding who-knows-what, maybe even a little blue boat. It's propped up, almost daringly, in the center of the space. Weidemann reminds me of other artists like Marsden Hartley, who wrestled with the same kind of semi-abstraction. Art is an invitation, and Weidemann has flung the door wide open.