Weekendavisen – The Hvasley church 2019

Owen Gent made this image, Weekendavisen – The Hvasley church, at some point in the 20th century using what looks like digital painting tools to create something with a slightly retro feel. I love the way the marks aren’t trying to hide their digital origins - there's no attempt to mimic the feel of a brushstroke. It's more about the impact of the image. The church is this tiny, dark silhouette, almost engulfed in a torrent of orange light, reflected below in the water. The light is the focus, rendered with these warm, diffused tones that seem to emanate from another world. It's like a dream, where the boundaries between what's real and what's imagined just dissolve. This picture reminds me a little of some of the early surrealists like de Chirico, but more upbeat. I find it to be about a sense of place and the way a place can be a container for a feeling. Ultimately it points to the mysterious and poetic power of light itself.