Wood-Variation II 1989

Editor: So, here we have Per Kirkeby's "Wood-Variation II", a large painting. It feels like a dense forest, but also disrupted, fragmented almost. What strikes you about it? Curator: It's fascinating how Kirkeby uses this landscape, typically a site of romanticism, to explore a more fractured, possibly even a post-industrial vision. How does the title, "Wood-Variation II", speak to a history of land use and ownership for you? Is it about nature or is it a commentary on something else? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way, more like the artist playing with form. Curator: Consider how land, especially forests, has been historically controlled and commodified. The disrupted image could be a commentary on environmental degradation and its social impact. Editor: So, it's less about the beauty of the woods and more about our relationship with it? Curator: Precisely. Perhaps this painting is inviting us to question our perceived dominance over nature. Editor: I’ll never look at a landscape the same way again.