Henrik Simonsen – To Grow | Recent Works

The works of Henrik Simonsen connect the viewer with the mysterious and almost magical side of nature. While exacting in detail and technically virtuous, his paintings are truly about the spirit behind that which man did not create. The craggy forms of his trees, the rhythms of the leaves, the detailed petals in his flowers are all a reminder of the natural world’s beauty; and yet, they are not realistic or naturalistic works, they are contemporary works that combine the strength and movement of abstract painting with an insight of nature’s rhythm and beauty.

“As an artist working alone in my studio, I was fortunate to have my own space during the pandemic; but none of us exist in isolation. The influence from the outside world filtered through me onto the canvas. I became more aware of time than ever, how we measure it and what it means to us. For me, my experience of time altered, stretched, felt longer and more fragile. Everything slowed down and seemed less defined.

Many of the paintings in this exhibition originated from the observation of time. For example, the four paintings that make up the season series demonstrate the change in the natural world that occurs during a year in Northern Europe, while the works from the light series (Winter Light and “Green Light) aim to capture an ephemeral and brief moment.

As the world opened and scaled down on its restrictions, my work also took on a renewed sense of space as it acquired layers of depth. This renewed sense of space is the source of the perceived three-dimensional quality that enhances the precise details that make up the elements in my work.” – Henrik Simonsen, 2022