Artwork
En tilgivelse
En tilgivelse is an oil painting by the Symbolist artist Valdemar Irminger. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Valdemar Irminger’s 1896 oil work titled En tilgivelse is part of the collection at Denmark’s Statens Museum for Kunst. Executed in the late nineteenth century, the canvas measures a modest size and exemplifies Irminger’s focus on domestic scenes rendered with careful observation.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a formally dressed man in a dark suit leaning over a woman who lies in bed, partially concealed by a white sheet. Her hand rests gently on his head, suggesting a moment of tenderness, concern, or forgiveness between the two figures, while the subdued attire hints at a serious or solemn circumstance.
Technique & Style
Irminger employs a restrained palette and subtle contrasts of light and shadow to model the figures, creating a quiet chiaroscuro effect that emphasizes the intimacy of the scene. The brushwork is smooth, allowing the fabric textures and the softness of the sheet to emerge without overt dramatization.
History & Provenance
Created in 1896, En tilgivelse entered the holdings of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display. The painting’s acquisition reflects the museum’s commitment to preserving works by prominent Danish artists of the period, and it has been referenced in catalogues of Irminger’s oeuvre.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Ill Man
Over midnat
La vuelta al hogar
Study for "Come Rest in this Bosom my own Stricken Dear"
Communion of a Sick Woman
Study for "Come Rest in this Bosom my own Stricken Dear"
The Artist Michelangelo at the Deathbed of Vittoria Colonna
Death of Paolo and Francesca
The first born
Death of an Orphant- En tilgivelse