Den drunknade flickan I 1919

Nils Dardel painted "The Drowned Girl I" at some point, with what looks like a real urgency. The brushstrokes are loose and the colour is slathered on, especially in that ground of vibrant green. I like that it’s not too precious. There's a tension between the flatness of the picture plane and the depth suggested by the figures receding into the background. Look at the way Dardel uses colour to create a kind of emotional atmosphere; the stark contrast between the dark figures and the ghostly white gowns, it’s unsettling. And then there's the texture – you can almost feel the roughness of the paint, like it was applied quickly, intuitively. The artist's signature in the corner feels like an integral part of the composition, not just an afterthought. Dardel's work reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker, in the way they both use simplified forms and bold colors to express something deeply felt, even if it's hard to put into words. For me, this piece embraces the unexplainable aspects of life and death.