Vihelm Hammershoi, "Ida Reading a Letter"


   A little change of pace for this week, and for those of you who visit often, you know how much I love strong compositions. 
   Here we have Danish artist, Vihelm Hammershoi's (1864-1916) painting, Ida Reading a Letter.   With a quick look, it appears to lack color, but closer examination shows this is not true. However, it certainly is a restrained palette.
  This is a reasonably typical painting from Hammershoi's finest period.  Later in life, he did some travel and after seeing work by other artists, expanded his colors and added more elements inside his pictorial space, thereby losing all the mystery we find here.         Ida, was Hammershoi's wife and she was depicted in many paintings from this period; dressed in black, with a white apron.  Here we see her reading, and our title tells us it is a letter.  And why is the door open?  Has the post just arrived? But the open door does not lead to the outside.  And where are we?  Our only clue is the table set with one plate, cup/saucer and coffee urn; but no food, no silver, no chair.  What a mystery!  The simplicity and understated, muted tone of this work definitely leaves us guessing.   
   The composition is wonderful, lots of rectangles.  Notice how the work is divided in half with the open door on our right, Ida and the table on our left.  Shadows heighten the suspense as they travel the across the floor, up behind the door.  And Ida, most likely a pale skinned woman, is depicted quite dark, with a wide black outline, especially around her neck and face, which of course pops her out from her background.  Notice how Hammershoi has attached the table, and the pieces on it, to her.  We must assume they are part of her routine, her daily life; and thus has been interrupted from her duties.  At least, that is my guess.  What is yours?   
   Ida Reading a Letter was painted in 1899.  It is an oil on canvas, measures 23.2" by 25.9" and is in a private collection.  In 2012 Sothebys of London sold it at auction for E1,721,250, a record for a Danish painting.
   Make Art a part of your life, it's a beautiful thing to do.

Comments

  1. Char HarguthDecember 17, 2020 at 7:34 AM

    Rectangles within rectangles; so many. Certainly a strong composition. One can almost divide the painting into fourths!. Three solid decorated doors give a stable background. Even though the palate is limited, I feel a warm glow throughout, starting with the flesh tones of her face. I think it is a kitchen, but not even a chair to sit down and read a post? That's a mystery, because the floor in the foreground seems worn from activity. I would guess it's a conservative tidy household , very possibly with only two occupants. She is a strong, calm, but compliant wife. She lives with only the necessities! Just a thought!! This is an interesting painting to study.

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