“Every atom is colour” wrote the art historian Andreas Aubert about Harriet Backer’s perhaps most famous picture “Blue interior”, when it was first exhibited in Copenhagen in 1883. Harriet Backer Photo: NTB Norwegian painter (b. 1845), raised in Holmestrand. Older sister of concert pianist and composer Agathe Backer Grøndahl (b. 1847). Her father was a consul and shipowner. She lived abroad for almost 15 years, both in Munich and Paris. Both as a student and as a performing artist. Both realism’s interest in everyday life, but also the impressionists’ immediate light studies inspired Backer. Harriet Backer elbowed her way onto a male-dominated art scene in the 19th century, and quickly won respect and recognition in the art community. She established an art school and thus exerted a wide influence on a whole generation of younger artists. When the National Museum is now showing an extensive exhibition of Backer’s paintings, they have used this very statement as the title to emphasize her very special gift for colour. She was an excellent draftsman with a clear sense of form. There is no doubt, however, that what makes her one of the Nordic region’s foremost painters is her ability to play different shades of color and tones against each other and depict the effects of light. MEDITATIVE: The subdued lighting in the exhibition, where each picture is individually lit, creates a peaceful atmosphere. VARIED: The exhibition is divided into themes such as “The way into art”, “In the studio” or, as here, “Still life”. Missing chronology As I wandered through the various halls in the National Museum, which were divided into themes such as “Rooms that tell” or “Still life”, I caught myself several times missing a chronology. I would have loved to have clearly seen the fascinating development unfold. DEVELOPING: It is interesting to see how Harriet Backer developed from a more classic-realistic, detailed and conventional painting style, which she developed at the Academy in Munich. “Solitude” (1878-80). Photo: Thomas Widerberg / The National Museum FOUND THE LIGHT: Gradually she became more and more herself as a painter and indulged in an increasingly pure colourism, where it almost looks as if the motif is only a starting point for a free investigation of color and light. “At the cradle” (1898). Photo: Morten Henden Aamot / Norske selskab Harriet Backer left classical-realist genre painting behind her and gradually became more and more herself as a painter: less a designer and more a pure color composer who created paintings that bordered on the abstract. I still appreciate the exhibition’s concentrated themes. It is great to see the various groups of works, such as church interiors, farmhouses or still lifes, together. STILL BENE: Notice how exquisitely the glass vase with tulips is depicted, see how the light plays in the transparent glass and the water. Here too, nothing in the composition is left to chance. Here she plays the bright red tulips against the foliage, and the green light from the garden that falls through the windows in the background. The yellow flowers are highlighted by the shiny blue vase, which is balanced by the bluish shadows in the mask on the table. “Still life with a mask” (1916). Photo: Børre Høstlund / The National Museum Backer’s method As I stood looking at her famous picture “Blue interior”, it became clear to me what Backer’s specific method is. She often has a bit of a clear and strong color on one side of the composition which she balances out with a larger, but usually paler field of the same color on the other side. In the painting, we see a woman sitting and sewing. Here we see how the bright red flowers and the balls of yarn on the floor “talk” to the pale red inside of the box. CLASSICS: Effortlessly and masterfully, she creates her color symphonies. “Blue interior” (1883), perhaps Backer’s most famous picture. Photo: Børre Høstlund / The National Museum These red tones are contrasted against the green leaves of the plant, and the moss-green cushion on the floor. The blue curtains, the blue sea painting on the wall and the blue-green chairs accentuate the brown-orange wood in the box. And the beige-white elements, both the blouse, the sewing equipment, but also the flower pots, help tie the composition together. PIONEERS: Harriet Backer and Kitty Kielland lived together for 40 years. Whether they were more than friends is not good to say, and perhaps not so important, the important thing was that they dared to go to the front and show that a woman does not have to be realized through marriage or motherhood, but are individuals good enough in themselves. They were both considered so exceptionally skilled that they were referred to in masculine terms. Among other things, the artist Jean Heiberg wrote in a letter about the most prominent artists of the time, almost with astonishment: “Harriet Backer and Kitty Kielland really belong with these men, we might have to take them along.” “Kitty Kielland the Artist” (1883). Photo: Børre Høstlund / The National Museum Extensive exhibition The National Museum has created an extensive exhibition here. As an artist, Backer worked exceptionally slowly and painstakingly, and her production does not total more than around 180 paintings. The exhibition “Every atom is colour” shows 76 of these. I think the selection is very good. Here, the public will find both the paintings she is best known for, but certainly also pictures they have never seen before. GENUINE SPACIOUS EXPERIENCE: It is almost hard to believe that it is possible to capture the crackling, colorful stave church interior with its intricate pillar work, but not least with its wealth of rose paintings on the ceiling and walls. “Interior from Uvdal Stavkirke” (1909). Photo: Børre Høstlund / The National Museum One of the Nordic countries’ foremost artists Harriet Backer has been one of my favorite artists for many years, and I know her artistry well from before. Nevertheless, I left this knowledge-saturated and comprehensive presentation very enriched. Harriet Backer is not only one of Norway’s, but certainly one of the Nordic countries’ foremost painters. news reviews Photo: Børre Høstlund / The National Museum Title: “Harriet Backer: Every atom is colour” Artist: Harriet Backer Location: The National Museum, Lyshallen, Oslo Curator: Vibeke Waallann Hansen Estimated time: 30-60 minutes Date: 30 September 2023–14 . January 2024
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Every atom is colour’ at the National Museum – Reviews and recommendations
