Calves and Geese at a Wateringhole on the Island of Saltholm 1911

Theodor Philipsen made this painting of calves and geese with oils on canvas, but there’s a watercolourist's sensibility going on here. I see a real tenderness in the way the figures are placed in the landscape, with light and colour creating this dreamy, atmospheric kind of space. What I mean by ‘tenderness’ is, well, look how lightly the artist has touched the canvas, building up these delicate layers of thin, transparent paint. It’s almost like he’s caressing the surface. I like the way the geese are given just as much attention as the calves, they’re right there in the foreground! And the water’s edge is so evocative, rendered in such loose, free brushstrokes. Philipsen was part of a group of Danish painters, known as the Skagen painters, who were all interested in capturing the effects of light and atmosphere in their work. You see a similar interest in artists like Peder Krøyer and Anna Ancher. It’s like they’re all part of this extended conversation about how to see and feel the world around us. But none of this is fixed, it's always open to interpretation, and that’s what makes it so exciting.