Together with her life partner, the artist Carl-Henning Pedersen, Else Alfelt (1910–74) became part of the experimental artist associations of the mid-1930s: Linien (1934 – 39), Skandinaverne and Helhesten (1941 – 44), which later became the core of CoBrA (Copenhagen – Brussels – Amsterdam). Alfelt’s political views were influenced by the social issues of the time and the rise of Nazism, while in CoBrA, she was driven by the desire for collective experiments and spontaneous expression. The home she shared with Pedersen became a meeting place for the CoBrA artists.
Watercolours, Abstract Oil Painting, Mosaics and Poetry
Based on a constant dialogue with nature and a belief in the rich potential of colours, she created her own distinctive imagery, in which the light, the mountains, the moon and the sun became pervasive motifs. She herself called her works a lyrical perception of the world and said on several occasions that she wanted to convey her sense of the universe, eternity and the beauty of the world. Harmony and repetition became guiding principles.
The Land of the Stone Lanterns and Globes in Golden Space
Like other CoBrA members, Alfeldt felt a deep longing to experience the world throughout her life. Trips to Lapland, Norway and Iceland (1945–48) inspired airy, colourful watercolours with impressions from the magnificent nature. In 1951, Alfeldt was the first abstract artist to receive the New Carlsberg Foundation’s travel grant, the Roman Grant, and her trip to Italy left her with an enduring fascination with the so-called Ravenna technique. She used Tagea Brandt’s travel grant for a trip to Japan in 1968, which was the inspiration for her Land of the Stone Lanterns exhibition. She made a name for herself with exhibitions at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh and at the Galérie de France. Her list of projects is long and includes decoration of the Langelinie Pavilion and the “Globes in Golden Space” mosaic for Th. Langs School.