Bakket landskab med huse 1935

Henry Nielsen made this print of a sloping landscape with houses sometime before his early death in 1937. Look at the bold, confident strokes; it's like Nielsen is wrestling with the landscape, not just representing it. The stark contrast between the black ink and the white paper gives it a real punch. The texture feels rough and immediate, like you could run your fingers over it and feel the marks. See how he uses these slashing lines to define the hillside in the foreground? It’s almost violent, but it also gives the scene a raw, windswept energy. It reminds me a little of Emil Nolde, who also wasn’t afraid to get messy and emotional with his landscapes. Ultimately, it feels unfinished, like a question rather than an answer.