Purple Shadows - JP3320

  • Sale
  • Regular price $10.95


As night falls and the shadows deepen, the colors of the painted furniture and trunks appear jewel-like in the reflected light of the fireplace.  I was intrigued by a display at the Open Air Museum in Oslo, Bygdoy, where they replicated this setting in a wondrous presentation of old pieces as they appeared in their homes before electricity.  It suddenly made me realize why the freshness of stroke painting with strong contrasts was desirable.  Then we visited the studio of Knut Buen in the Telemark area and enjoyed his use of rich red, purples, blues, etc. and his fiddle playing.  You can see some of his work in Bjorg Kleive's book, Rosemaling Fra Hele Norge.  This book has an English summary so you can read his comments on the Telemark style.  His interpretation of the Telemark style includes bold opaque colors and heavier outlining.  Large areas of negative space frame his motifs on larger pieces.  Many of his smaller pieces had simple impressionistic landscapes, framed by Rosemaled borders.