Summer Day in Jyllinge. Lilacs in Bloom and Little Girls in the Village Street 1922

Hans Andersen Brendekilde painted this scene of lilacs in bloom and two little girls in the village street with oil on canvas. The colours are mostly soft and light, with splashes of purple from the lilacs and an intense blue from the girl's dress. I can imagine the artist working on this piece ‘en plein air’, battling the changing sunlight as he tried to capture a fleeting moment of childhood. You can almost feel the warmth of the summer day, but it's not just about pretty colours; Brendekilde's work is often interested in social realism too. Look at the textures; thick in places, especially in the foliage, and thinner where he wants to show the smoothness of the girls' dresses. And the pose of the girls, the older one looking down, maybe giving advice, maybe telling a story. It's like a snippet of real life that he managed to freeze in time. It reminds me of other Danish painters, like Peder Krøyer, who also captured everyday life with such sensitivity. It is fascinating how artists look to each other and share ways of seeing, isn’t it?