Staden I Solnedgång 1897

Eugène Jansson created "Staden I Solnedgång," or "The City at Sunset," with oil on canvas, a tranquil yet stirring cityscape rendered during a period of significant social change in Sweden. As the industrial revolution transformed urban life, Jansson, who lived as a gay man in a time of intense social conservatism, found solace and expression in the city's quiet moments. The painting captures Stockholm bathed in the soft glow of twilight, a scene that seems to blur the boundaries between the real and the dreamlike. The subtle gradations of light and color evoke a sense of longing and introspection, a visual poem reflecting the artist’s personal experience of seeking beauty and connection amidst societal constraints. Rather than depicting the city's modern dynamism, Jansson focuses on the serene beauty of its architecture and natural surroundings, crafting a space where identity and place intersect with delicate sensitivity. This painting is not just a landscape; it's a reflection on how we find peace and identity in the spaces we inhabit, especially when those spaces are fraught with personal and societal challenges.