Sæbebobler 1905

Here is the story as if it were told by Amy Sillman: Hans Andersen Brendekilde captured a sweet moment with oils and canvas, with his work ‘Sæbebobler’ - I love the way that sounds! Looking at the canvas, I'm thinking about the artist surrounded by children blowing bubbles on a summer's day. Was it joyful, or irritating? There's something beautiful about this mundane scene. Brendekilde really nails the look of the soap bubbles, floating almost weightlessly. The paint handling is gentle, the colors are soft, and I can almost feel the light. I wonder, were the artist’s other paintings so saccharine? Or did he change his style over his career? These paintings remind me of the way a memory can feel, hazy and out of reach. I feel like artists today don't have such an innocent view, there's a knowing cynicism now. Yet artists are in an ongoing conversation, each work in response to the previous, and as a painter myself, it makes me wonder where I fit in.