THE ROMANTIC GARDEN, FREDERIKSBERG

THE BEYOND LANDSCAPE

This recent body of work by acclaimed Danish artist Lars Ly revisits the park as a meditation on the intersection of culture, nature, and memory. Drawing inspiration from the park as a place where we go to experience nature and pastoral pleasure in the midst of a busy, urban life, Ly explores the ancient Greek mythical ideal of Arcadia – the longing for harmony with nature. Working from images and memory and turning the canvas, Ly superimposes his recollections and multiple perspectives onto the same place, invoking the way we revisit a favorite spot in the park, returning in each season, and over many years, watching our children grow, imbuing this public place with a part of ourselves, our hopes and dreams. 

We all have a relationship to parks and the power of being among the trees and grasses with a picturesque folly or water feature in the not-too-far distance. Sitting with these paintings is like inviting that experience into your life on a daily basis, connecting with that uplifting, mysteriously soothing feeling each morning.

INSTALLATION VIEWS

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Lars Ly is best known for his gestural, deconstructed landscapes that challenge the specificity of place and mine art historical collective visual memory. He studied Art History at the University of Copenhagen and at the The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Fine Arts under Freddie Lerche, Stig Brøgger and Hein Heinsen, 1980–1986. Ly’s work was the subject of a major retrospective at the Pinakothek, Piraeus, Athens, Greece in 2009, and he has shown in many solo and group shows throughout Denmark and Europe. His work is included in the New Carlsberg Foundation Contemporary Art Collection, Gladsaxe Art Library, Gothenburg and Bohus län, and in private collections throughout Denmark and Europe.