Long Shadows. Cattle on the Island of Saltholm, Theodor Philipsen

Long Shadows. Cattle on the Island of Saltholm, Theodor Philipsen

The short, brisk, richly coloured brushstrokes make the picture vibrate with light, colour, and atmosphere. Philipsen is not, however, an impressionist in the French sense of the concept. He was not interested in "modern life".

In his paintings, he almost turns his back on it in favour of the simple life within nature, often taking a form such as this almost transcendental tribute to the all-embracing power of light. The cows are not the real motif; that distinction belongs to the sun and the power of the sun.

The great innovator

Whenever the history of Danish art is told, Philipsen is often assigned the role as the great innovator. From his starting point within the landscapes and animal pictures of the late Golden Age, he brought Danish art out of the smoke-filled salons and threw open the French doors to let in a far more modern mode of painting filled with light and colour.