3-051-036 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Play and Dance, 1896. Additional Info: Though the painting Play and Dance is often referred to as “unfinished”, it has nonetheless remained one of Halfdan Egedius’s principal works. Egedius uses a subdued palette, and the various shapes seem only partially finished, or else they recede into an indeterminable darkness. The surroundings and details are downplayed in favour of an immediate, holistic impression. The relaxed form enhances the painting’s atmospheric motifs of music, rhythm, dancing, and ecstasy. Egedius created the painting in Bo in Telemark in the summer of 1896, with his fellow painter Torleiv Stadskleiv posing as the fiddler. During his first trip to Telemark in 1892, Egedius had been captivated by its nature and culture and in particular the inherent “ferocity” of the region’s heritage of music and dance. The women in the background are attired in characteristic folk costumes. The bright profile of the fiddler, placed far to the left, contrasts with the darkness of the background, and the light gives his face a dramatic appearance. With eyes half closed, he gives in to the music’s ability to egg the dancers on. A central element in the composition is a mysterious red shape - perhaps an abstract symbol of the feelings and forces at play?