Review | On the Edge of the World: Masterworks by Laurits Andersen Ring
Review | On the Edge of the World: Masterworks by Laurits Andersen Ring
Bruce Museum
Through May 24
Anna Tran
Hailed as one of the most important Danish painters, Laurits Andersen Ring is the subject of a new exhibition at The Bruce Museum in Greenwich. On the Edge of the World: Masterworks by Laurits Andersen Ring demonstrates how the Danish artist illustrated “the ‘new’ through concrete objects and motifs but reflecting the ‘modern’ state of mind” [1]. Many of Ring’s pieces portray scenes of everyday experiences to record the lives of European emigrants who settled in the United States during the late nineteenth century, and his subjects are often painted in front of a window, garden, road, or another traditional space.
L.A. Ring, At the French Windows, The Artist’s Wife, (1897). Oil on canvas, 191 cm by 144 cm (75 in by 57 in). National Gallery of Denmark.
Dim lighting inside the first gallery draws the viewer’s eyes onto an illuminated large-scale portrait of a pregnant woman overlooking the landscape from her porch. Although this woman is off to the left side of the composition, she is without a doubt the focal point of the painting—and the exhibition. At the French Windows, The Artist’s Wife (1897) is so massive that my five-foot-three stature was not able to survey all the details at first. An exterior light source highlights the lady’s face and dress. Ring successfully uses the sunlight to center the focus on this central figure.
In this painting, Ring chose warm colors such as various shades of yellow—visible on her dress, and the curtain behind her—combined with many shades of green for the outdoors and subtle hints of blue. Overall, the tone of the painting is uplifting and reminiscent of spring and a celebration of new life—from the flower blooms to the affectionate hand the woman rests on her baby bump. Her stance at the threshold of the porch suggests that she is anticipating the birth of her child. From the title, the viewer gleans that this scene is a small glimpse into an intimate memory.
Impressive as this large pleasant painting may be, the painting that stood out the most for this viewer is the size of a shoebox. In Ring’s Rye Field near Ring Village (1887), an oil painting of a rye field on cardboard, the composition is almost entirely yellow. What isn’t yellow is a pale gray-blue. Instead of a bright azure sky, Ring’s atmosphere is similar to that of an oncoming storm.
L.A. Ring, Rye Field near Ring Village (1887).
At a glance, the painting appears lackluster, but upon inspection, the viewer notices the delicate strokes of paint that make each stalk of wheat. The shades of yellow surrounding the field are darker than the shade of yellow in the center and near the skyline. Tiny trees placed along the skyline beckon viewers closer. The trees are shaped like tiny pompoms on sticks. Combined with the yellow, the foliage gives the painting more of a whimsical and childlike wonder compared to other landscape paintings. The artist’s decision to paint the sky darker stays consistent with his belief that paintings don’t have to have an optimistic outlook. Easily glanced over, this petite painting rewards those who get up close to the surface.
This painting also foreshadows the tragic events in Ring’s later life. During a ten year period, Ring lost both his brother and mother; paintings from this decade are arranged in one room, connected by the theme of death. Ring believed that “life is at the mercy of death” [2] and one painting that especially enforces this sentiment is Three Skulls from Convento dei Cappucini at Paermo (1894).
In this piece, there are three beings: the two on the left seem to be normal from the shoulder down but there are skulls where their heads should be. All three figures in this composition are dressed and staged to appear as if they are mid-conversation. One even appears to be smiling. The last person is no longer a man, but a decaying body. Dark browns, shades of black, gray, and creams contribute to the ominous tone of the painting.
L.A. Ring, Three Skulls from Convento dei Cappucini at Paermo (1894).
This exhibition reveals the inspiration Ring drew from his biography for his paintings. At the French Windows, The Artist’s Wife (1897) captures a pleasant moment in his life. On the other hand, Three Skulls from Convento dei Cappucini at Paermo (1894) reflects Ring’s state of depression, brought upon by the deaths of his loved ones. The organization of the exhibition—with his landscapes grouped in one room, while works from his dark period on one side are balanced by warmer paintings inside another room—allows a viewer to understand the timeline of Ring’s life while noticing how many of these events impacted his significant output as a Danish painter.
Anna Tran
Anna Tran is a scientist, artist, and houseplant enthusiast. She is a junior, pursuing a forensic science bachelor’s degree with a minor in chemistry at the University of New Haven. Raised in a suburban neighborhood in Connecticut, her love for plants and science stems from years spent outside gardening with her parents. Her passion paved way for her work in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program when she studied plants and their elemental composition. The ridiculously long and complex-sounding title of her research project—“Investigating the Differences in the Elemental Composition of Pollen from Common Houseplants Under Different Growing Conditions Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy”—is a fitting summary of the time she spent shooting lasers into various plant matter. When she is not cramming for her science exams or purchasing new plants to bring home, Anna enjoys painting, watching horror movies, reading, and watching documentaries on medical anomalies in her spare time. On campus, she currently serves as the secretary for the Asian American Student Union and is an honorary member of the Honors Program and Tri Beta Honors Society. Anna lives in Connecticut with her pet rabbit, Max, a pink axolotl named Aloy, and her 40-plus plants.
