The Stillness of 1934
A single table holds the weight of a moment captured in oil on canvas. In 1934, Immanuel Ibsen arranges oranges upon a surface, creating Still life with oranges (Opstilling, bord med appelsiner). The brushwork settles into the textures of the fruit and the wood. There is no movement here, only the heavy presence of objects caught in a specific light. The signature at the bottom left, Ib. 34, marks the date of this composition.
The painting exists within a larger institutional history. It later finds its way into the collection of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, having been acquired by the museum in 1958. Currently, the work resides on permanent loan to the Nivaagaard Museum, where it remains part of the permanent record of his output.
Technical Elements
The physical presence of the work is defined by its scale and medium. The canvas measures 82.5 cm in height and 110 cm in width. Ibsen utilizes oil to build the forms of the oranges, allowing for a density that anchors the still life genre. The composition focuses on the arrangement of these specific elements:
- The bright, textured skins of the oranges.
- The structural surface of the table.
- The interplay of light and shadow across the fruit.
