Fra Eidem, Aafjord 1908

Amaldus Nielsen made this oil on canvas, "Fra Eidem, Aafjord," in 1908, and it's a beautiful little study in process. The colours! The way the warm oranges and yellows just bleed into that cool, grey-blue at the top – it's all about how those hues interact. I imagine Nielsen, brush in hand, coaxing them together, letting them do their thing on the canvas. Look at the sun's reflection on the water; it's not just light, it’s pure, raw energy. The paint is applied thinly, almost transparent in places, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through. There's a real sense of immediacy here. It reminds me a bit of some of the early Impressionist painters, like Johan Barthold Jongkind, who were so interested in capturing fleeting moments of light and atmosphere. But Nielsen brings his own distinct sensibility to it. It's less about representation and more about feeling and experience. And that, for me, is what makes art so endlessly fascinating.