Richard Bergh, Tarde de verano nórdica, 1899-1900

Recently I had the opportunity of seeing an exhibition of Nordic painting of the turn of the century entitled ‘The Northern Light’ at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid. The paintings were cleverly hung thematically irrespective of their country of origin. I was struck by the uniformity of feeling that the works were steeped in: scenes of human figures in landscapes, dim dusk and twilight, a sensation of humility and silence, and a distinct sense of melancholy. The unified nature of the Nordic sensibility was revealed by the sharpness of the southern light and the urbane bustle of Spanish life. I had not understood the unity of Nordic culture quite so clearly before experiencing this encounter of Nordic paintings and the Spanish reality.

I am writing these lines in Reykjavik, at the farthest edge of Nordic culture. And regardless of the dreamlike strangeness of the landscape of black lava, and the awareness of the hot interior of the earth, which give existence on this vulcanic island its special metaphysical dimension, I can sense a familiar silence, matter-of-factness, sobriety, and a tangible sense of reality. There is no discrepancy between appearances and essences in this world of solitude and tranquility...[+]