Ruset 2017

Nick Alm's painting, Ruset, is made with oil paint, probably fairly recently. I love how Alm lets the muted colors and subtle brushstrokes suggest a scene that feels both familiar and dreamlike. It's like memory itself, shifting and uncertain. Look at the way the light catches the woman's face. The brushstrokes are soft, almost dissolving, yet they create a strong sense of presence. The paint is applied in thin layers, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through in places, adding to the overall feeling of fragility and impermanence. It's this balance between precision and looseness that makes Alm's work so compelling. This piece makes me think of the quiet interiors of Vilhelm Hammershøi, where the everyday becomes imbued with a sense of mystery. Like Hammershøi, Alm reminds us that art is not about capturing reality perfectly but about creating a space for contemplation and imagination. And that's what makes it so exciting.