Evening Mood-Lidingö1900 · Study 2005.4

Context from the museum

The swirling brushstrokes and telescopic perspective in this view of a field near Stockholm, Sweden, converge on the dark mass of trees and dying sunset in the center. Feelings of melancholy and loneliness are relieved only by the appearance of the first evening star. Although little known in the United States, Eugène Janssen was one of the most important artists of Scandinavian modernism. He became aware of the works of the Norwegian Symbolist Edvard Munch as early as 1884 and shared Munch’s ambition of exploring psychological states of mind rather than adhering to external appearances.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Jansson, known as the "Blue Painter," was called "Paraffin Jansson" by other artists because the light in his paintings reminded them of the light from the paraffin (kerosene) lamps widely used in houses at the time.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Evening Mood-Lidingö is 168.6 cm wide and 90.1 cm high, equivalent to approximately 66.4 × 35.5 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.87:1. The rectangular bounding area is 1.52 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 56.2% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 65.7 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Evening Mood-Lidingö in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 168.6 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?