Wilhelm Hammershøi, White Doors, Open Doors, 1905,
oil on canvas, Davids Collection, Copenhagen
Visited the Hammershoi exhibition at the Royal Academy in London yesterday. This is the final week of the exhibition and it was very busy, which detracted somewhat from the serene atmosphere of the paintings. It was worth the journey however as these painting suffer in reproduction (this is true of the paperback catalogue which accompanies the exhibition although these were selling at a fast rate, and I bought one myself). What came across to me was Hammershoi's mastery of tonal modulation of flat planes. One advantage of seeing these pictures side by side is that it becomes clear that each has it's own hue - for example one that is predominately green is hung next to one that is predominately violet. Once noticed, the colouration is apparent - they are far from monochrome! - and the more subtle hue changes within the paintings themselves can be seen. Some areas appear very thinly painted (at least the top paint layers) giving this shimmering veil that is such a contrast to the photographic clarity of other northern painters.
In some exhibitions seeing a collection of one artist's work in one room adds to the experience (being in a roomful of Van Goghs is one of the most exciting visual experiences I can remember), however I'm not so sure this is the case with Hammershoi. I think his pictures are best seen singly, as moments of quiet amongst other pictures which shout for your attention. This controlled quietness draws the viewer inevitably in closer. Their meaning is unclear, but you are caught in their stillness - stand for a moment - don't make a sound - then move on.
One benefit of a busy London gallery is the opportunity to eavesdrop on the discussions (actually there is no escape from other's opinions!). One woman was being critical of Hammershoi's seeming lack of ambition and development in his work. In her opinion he should have said - "Ida my dear, I have become the master of the muted interior with the back of your head, it's now time for the dancing girls!" (that's not quite what she said but you get the point). I know what she means, but it's difficult to criticize someone for who they are and what they want from their art. It would be interesting to know more about Hammershoi's life with Ida - were they happy together, was she fed up with moving the furniture, did she hanker after some Chintz curtains and flying ducks? We'll never know. All we can do is look in through the keyhole and wait for something to happen or someone to say something. Nothing moves, nothing is said, but we wait.
