Sunday

This is Interior Light by Carl Holsøe, 1863-1935. As the name suggests, he was Danish, and as the painting suggests he was interested in the intimacy of domestic spaces. Many of his paintings have a female figure in them but she is usually seen from the back - you get the feeling that the rooms, and the light, are what interested him most (you get the same feeling with Vuillard sometimes, especially with the portraits - the subjects are sometimes not nearly as fascinating to him as the objects or the wallpaper).

I am also very interested in the intimacy of domestic spaces, both when those spaces are bright and full of life and, and when, as here - and as with Vermeer, an obvious influence - they are sober and almost holy, places that might lend themselves better to contemplation than to partying.

But life happens. That’s what I really like the most: when the painting is reverent but the setting is functional. I’m not especially interested in obviously grand settings, like vast ballrooms or church interiors: to me, what is so captivating about this painting is that there are traces of a meal on that table at the back. The rug on the floor in the foreground is faded and perhaps even worn, and the pieces of furniture are functional too: a sideboard containing crockery, perhaps, and an armoire that might be full of household linens.

And look how lovingly he’s painted everything: the patina of the wood, the shine of the silver pot and gilt picture frames, even that little tureen. The matte chalkiness of the paint is brilliantly done, too. For a painting of a minimally decorated empty room, or series of rooms, the effect is warm and friendly. He has also skilfully turned the lines of the doorframe and of the furniture into geometry, which adds grandeur and formality to a domestic space. It honours it, perhaps even exalts it, but very very quietly.

Holsøe was influenced by his friend Vilhelm Hammershøi, who was the master of empty interiors, but I didn’t pick one of his because they are slightly chilly and unsettling. Holsøe’s are more straightforward and more loving, somehow. We are in a happy house, where people eat well and love each other. They’ll bustle in any minute now, into that glorious light.

Thank you for stopping by! These fortnightly picture posts are free to read. They alternate with my food posts, which are also free. For everything else, you need a paid subscription, so do consider that if you’d like to. Either way, have a wonderful Sunday and if you enjoyed this post then please VERY KINDLY hit the ❤️ button - it makes it more visible to non-subscribers. Thank you!