Upp i himmelen ned i djupen 1976

Rune Jansson made this painting, Upp i himmelen ned i djupen, with soft blues, greens, and whites, layering them in such a way that it feels like he's capturing a fleeting moment. I imagine Jansson standing before the canvas, his mind swimming with impressions of the landscape. He starts with thin washes of blue, allowing them to drip and blend into the white ground. The blues evoke the cool, reflective surface of the water, but it's not about a realistic depiction. It’s more about capturing the sensation of light and depth. The quick strokes of green suggest land, but they're just hints, really. It’s like he’s saying, "Here's a landscape, but it's also just paint." The overall effect reminds me of the way painters like Bonnard used color to evoke mood. It feels like an unfinished thought, an invitation for us to complete it.