This is a rather sad painting. Or maybe an angry painting. A friend of mine died unexpectedly when I was in the middle of painting Dawn (Those Who Go). Some folks seem to work through emotions using their art, but it’s not something I can do; I just get all “cloudy”… for want of a better word. Anyroad, it took ages to get back to painting Dawn, and as I had been hiking in the bush on short winter days, I painted this painting of the evening gloom before I went back to finish Dawn.
Despite my best efforts to not think about the finished article, I generally hope that folks will enjoy my paintings, as they are painted to share my love of the landscape where I live. This painting is different. This is not one to enjoy. It looks like a bruise, and I used a whole lot of black, which is unusual for me.
When the English painter Clarkson Stanfield complained that Turner in the painting Peace – Burial at Sea had painted the sails in the steamer as black as he could make them Turner replied “If I could find anything blacker than black I’d use it.”
Those who stay pick ourselves up and keep living.
I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for the way you share your experience. Loss is so heavy.
Sadness and missing people is a part of life. This picture captures a feeling of melancholy and reminds me of a stained glass window. Beautiful work, Lars.