The novel centers on a community of artists who lived and worked in Skagen, a small fishing village on the northern tip of Denmark, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I had never heard of the Skagen Painters before, and I'm grateful to the novel for introducing me to them. Reading it is like stepping into an Impressionist painting: full of light and color, and enhanced with sophisticated touches that bring the characters and era to life.
Fishermen Hauling Nets, P.S. Krøyer (1883) |
Sewing Fisherman's Wife Anna Ancher (1890) |
She falls in love with Søren Krøyer, an older man who's the leading light of the Danish art world, and they marry. Despite her independent spirit, however, Marie's traditional upbringing doesn't fit in with the bohemian ways of her husband's friends. The others have affairs, raise one another's children, and adjust to sudden changes in their unconventional lifestyles with an ease that baffles Marie. Her inner conflict in this respect is skillfully conveyed.
Summer Evening on Skagen's Beach, P.S. Krøyer (1899); portraits of artist and wife |
The plot moves between Skagen, Copenhagen, Paris, Sicily, and elsewhere in Europe, following the artists and their extended families as they form romantic connections, have families of their own, and create breathtaking works of art.
Hip, Hip, Hurrah!, Peder Severin Krøyer (1888); many of the novel's characters are depicted here |
The relationship between art and real life is one of the novel's strongest themes, and Parkinson's literary re-creations of the painters' masterworks are a joy to read. Some are spontaneous creations, such as Søren Krøyer's depiction of his wife and Anna Ancher taking an evening walk on the beach following their friends' anniversary celebration:
Summer Evening on the Skagen Southern Beach, P.S. Krøyer (1893), with portraits of Marie Krøyer and Anna Ancher |
Søren sat with Michael on the beach, amidst the debris of the feast, and watched the slow progress of the women away from them, still conversing, into the blue.
Not all of the poses are so casually arranged, however. Martha Johansen, Anna's long-suffering cousin, feels very frustrated by the presence of a Christmas tree in her messy house for months after the holiday - all because her husband Viggo can't get his painting to turn out right.
Merry Christmas, Viggo Johansen (1891) |
And the children, shuffled from place to place while their parents journey abroad for inspiration or simple R&R... they bear some of the heaviest burdens of all.
Midsummer's Eve Bonfire on Skagen's Beach, P.S. Krøyer (1906) |
If you enjoy how novelists like Susan Vreeland, Tracy Chevalier, and Stephanie Cowell render art into lyrical prose, this is the book for you. It's best read with images of the paintings within easy access; I found that this enhanced the reading experience for me. See the Wikipedia page for additional paintings and links to individual artists, or the Skagens Museum for historical background, details on technique, and more images.
Painted Ladies was published by New Island Books (Ireland) in October in paperback (£12.99, 326pp) and is available at Book Depository. Siobhán Parkinson is the current Laureate na nÓg (Children's Laureate) of Ireland; this is her second novel for adults.
I had seen only one of those paintings before. Maybe because I write about a society blocked from the sun, my main impression was just how rich and luscious the sunlight is in these works of art! It's richer in some ways than in Vermeer.
ReplyDeleteI'm off to Book Depository . . . .
ReplyDeleteI've seen one of the paintings before, although I didn't remember where at first. Turns out it was on a historical fiction book cover! These are some of the most beautiful paintings I've seen, especially the ones of Skagen's beach.
ReplyDeleteJust noticed my link to BD was incorrect and fixed it (oops). Hope you like the book as much as I did.
While I have no qualms with a book ending suddenly, I have found that books that try to "paint" the art into the story don't sit well with me. I don't know if it's a personal style issue with the few books I've read of the kind (two, maybe three), but I tend to avoid books of this kind. The background sounds fascinating, though. I'm now curious to read more on the subject!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, and fortunately in this case the details on the creation of the paintings were inserted unobtrusively; the actual creative process wasn't included, although the artists' observations were, along with background on their daily lives. If I hadn't been searching for details on the art online, I doubt I'd have noticed that anything had been "painted in"!
ReplyDeleteThe artists illicit relationships reminds me of The Wayward Muse by Elizabeth Hickey (although I'm quite confident that Parkinson has given more justice to that complex theme.)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy historical fiction especially art fiction and Vreeland and Chevalier are awesome! ^_^
May I please recommend Arabella Edge's The God of Spring? It's about the French painter Gericault and his process of painting The Raft of Medusa. ^_^
Thanks for the recommendation. I haven't yet read The Wayward Muse, but I've read The Painted Kiss (about Klimt and his muse) and enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to put Arabella Edge's book on my wishlist. I had been a little leery of it because of the dark and disturbing subject, but if it's that good of a novel, I'll take another look!
I enjoyed The Painted Kiss too. ^_^ Interestingly, Hickey seems to like irresponsible and unconventional artists in her work. Haha!
ReplyDeleteAbout The God of Spring - yes, it's dark and disturbing. But what I like most about the novel is Gericault's astonishing passion for his art. I'm an amateur artist but I really can't see myself doing what he did even if I'm already a pro. I still hope you'll like it, though. ^_^
Irresponsible, unconventional artists are always interesting to write about. They're not as easy to live with though!
ReplyDeleteI can see it must have taken a lot of passion and personal strength to create the work of art he did. I may avoid reading it late at night is all :)