1969 Oil Painting by Jørgen Brynjolf

Danish artist Jorgen Brynjolf (1931-1993) worked with a range of materials throughout his artistic career, from paper collages and paintings to enamelwork and ceramics. Brynjolf was part of the Odsherred Painters, a group of artists who worked in Odsherred in Zealand, Denmark and who often took inspiration from the local land. He exhibited throughout Europe in the mid-twentieth century, including in Paris and Kalundborg, Denmark.

When observing this painting, we immediately enter an expressive world of warm, earthy hues and Brynjolf’s choice to work with a limited colour palette has the effect of presenting us with a cohesive statement. Red ochre is the predominant colour, and the artist has explored its potential through a range of shades and tints, from paler muted tones to saturated pigment-rich layers. 

The composition of the painting creates a sense of energy and movement through its range of shapes and marks, from organic, smoothed forms that flow into one another, to carefully placed blocks and parallel lines that give our eye direction.