Auroraförbundet 1903

Albert Edelfelt made this intriguing scene, ‘Auroraförbundet’, at an unknown date with an unknown medium, but my eye is immediately drawn to the two distinct rooms, each buzzing with its own energy. The monochromatic palette kind of flattens everything, but paradoxically it highlights the textures and the surfaces, doesn't it? Like you can almost feel the grainy paper and the way Edelfelt layered the ink or paint to create depth. It's not about hiding the process; it's right there on the surface. In the room on the left, see how the figures are bunched together, leaning in? There is one character in the middle with his arm raised. It's like he's mid-sentence, trying to make a point. The gesture brings a narrative to the piece, a sense of an argument or a discussion. Edelfelt uses the textures to convey a mood, a moment frozen in time. It makes me think of Goya, actually, with his dark palettes and his interest in capturing human drama. Both artists invite us to look beyond the surface and to imagine the stories unfolding within their work.