Artwork
At the Edge of the Wood
At the Edge of the Wood is an oil painting by the German Expressionist artist Harald Giersing. It dates from 1915 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition emphasizes the boundary between cultivated land and wild nature, with a narrow dirt path leading the viewer’s eye toward the trees.
The painting depicts a quiet Nordic landscape in which a dense forest meets an open clearing. A single large pine dominates the foreground, its dark trunk and foliage silhouetted against a low horizon, while slender birches step back into the shadowed wood. The composition emphasizes the boundary between cultivated land and wild nature, with a narrow dirt path leading the viewer’s eye toward the trees.
The subdued palette and diffused light suggest an autumn or winter moment, evoking stillness rather than dramatic confrontation. By isolating the edge of the wood, the work quietly reflects modern anxieties about the encroachment of nature on human space and the fragility of clearings in an increasingly industrialized world.
Technique & Style
Created in 1915 by Harald Giersing, At the Edge of the Wood is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work functions as a landscape painting that depicts trees and a forest setting. Its physical dimensions measure 60.5 cm in height and 70 cm in width. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
History & Provenance
The work was created in 1915 by Harald Giersing as a landscape painting in oil on canvas measuring 60.5 cm by 70 cm. By 2024 it was in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, where it is recorded as a landscape depicting trees and forest scenes.
Harald Giersing's 1915 painting At the Edge of the Wood is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. The work, executed in oil on canvas, measures 60.5 cm in height and 70 cm in width. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the museum's collection lists the piece as a landscape painting depicting trees and a forest. The work originates from the inception date of January 1, 1915.
Overview
Created in 1915, At the Edge of the Wood is an oil painting on canvas by Danish artist Harald Giersing. The work depicts a forest clearing rendered with strong, simplified shapes and vivid colour juxtapositions, reflecting the artist’s engagement with early twentieth‑century modernist currents. It is part of the permanent collection of Denmark’s National Gallery, Statens Museum for Kunst.
Artist & collection
Artist
Harald Giersing (24 April 1881 – 15 January 1927) was a Danish painter. He was instrumental in developing the classic modernism movement in Denmark around 1910-1920. He is remembered as one of Denmark's most important…
