Cissi Olsson som Anitra i Peer Gynt 1936

Curator: Well, here we have Nils Dardel's 1936 oil on canvas, "Cissi Olsson som Anitra i Peer Gynt". Editor: Anitra, wow. The fiery orange and that cool, watery green background, though! It feels both exotic and…melancholy somehow? Curator: Indeed. Dardel captures Cissi Olsson, a dancer, embodying Anitra from Ibsen's play. Anitra represents seduction and the ephemeral nature of beauty. Observe how Dardel employs the symbolism of the colour, a recurring element representing danger. Editor: She certainly looks captivating, a strong face, though almost mask-like. But the almost severe stance offsets it, wouldn’t you say? It almost feels like she is contained within this form, and I would have liked to have seen her let loose. Is it that which hints to sadness or loneliness within? Curator: Possibly, you know Dardel often imbued his works with multiple layers of meaning. The figure, rendered in realistic detail, stands against a much more simplified, almost dreamlike background. Her jeweled bracelet and anklet are important; each one is carefully presented and meant to portray aspects of allure, which leads the subject to ruin. Editor: Allure leads the subject to ruin – hmm… I do not fully agree with that in all cases. Anyway, for me the background feels both tropical, as one may envision Arabia, but at the same time also like something almost not from this earth! An imagined Eden! What the viewers don't know but are perhaps alluding to: it has serpents! Curator: The serpent in Eden, Anitra in the desert, aren't we drawn to such figures across our global narratives? It's intriguing to consider how Dardel taps into this collective fascination. Editor: Absolutely! I get the sense of someone on the precipice, where there's something enticing, tempting even, with just the slightest touch of trepidation or danger on the breeze. She is daring us... Curator: Ultimately, "Cissi Olsson som Anitra i Peer Gynt" becomes more than just a portrait; it is an open, symbolic journey, prompting the viewer to think of identity and what may come about by following certain routes. Editor: Precisely! It invites each of us to ponder what that alluring, dangerous, melancholic dream means in our lives and just what Eden means to us!