The Mystery of Vilhelm Hammershøi Vilhelm Hammershøi, the son of a well-off merchant, was born in Copenhagen Denmark in 1864. From 1883 to 1885, he attended the Independent Study School and was tutored by P.S. Kroyer, one of the most well known Dutch Impressionist painters. Hammershøi’s work was seen as controversial because of its lackluster colours and in 1890, his painting Bedroom was rejected by the Academy. However, ironically enough, Hammershøi’s most famous paintings were his subdued interiors, many of which depicted his wife Ida Ilsted. One of his best-known works being Interior, which Hammershøi painted in 1899 in his flat at Strandgade 30 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Currently, it is on display at the National Gallery in London. The painting illustrates a woman, dressed in a black dress and white apron with her back facing the viewer; her face is hidden. The room is simple in appearance and is pale and leaden in colour. Hammershøi’s Interior evokes a sense of mystery, which is induced by its lack of colour, mysterious figure and room, …show more content…
When looking upon the painting, the viewer is distanced from the figure of the woman. As mentioned before, only the woman’s back can be seen. This means that the woman’s face is hidden out of sight from the viewer. Therefore, the viewer is unable to determine the woman’s emotion. Could she be happy, angry, sad, or calm? Another aspect of Hammershøi’s Interior that creates a sense of distance and alludes to the mysteriousness of this work is its use of light. Though the room may be plain and colorless, it is quite bright. Light is depicted coming from the viewer’s position, almost as if the viewer is looking at this scene through a window. This explains the distance, we as the viewers, feel when peering at this painting. In other words, the viewer has the ability to observe the scene, but the inability to act within the