Literature: Ane Hejlskov Larsen: “Per Kirkeby - Malerier 1978–1989”, Aarhus 2015, cat. M 808, ill. p. 442. Registreret in Galerie Michael Werner's archive under PK 372 (label at the reverse) and in Ane Hejlskov Larsen's archive under no. 374. Literature: Nicholas Serota & Rachel Kirby (ed.): “Per Kirkeby: Recent Painting & Sculpture”, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, England 1985, reproduced p. 45. Exhibited: “Per Kirkeby: Recent Painting & Sculpture”, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, England, 22 November 1985–12 January 1986, reproduced in the catalogue p. 45. Exhibited: Trapholt, Kolding 1991 (outside catalogue, inscription at the reverse). Exhibited: Národní Galerie, Prague, The Czech Republic 1994 (inscription at the reverse). Exhibited: “Per Kirkeby - Panorama”, Aarhus Kunstmuseum, 29 August - 1 November 1998, cat. no. 164, reproduced in the catalogue p. 88. Exhibited “Per Kirkeby - Panorama”, Pinacoteca, Sao Paolo, Brazil, April 1999 (label at the reverse). Provenance: Private collection, Denmark.

In the 1980s, Per Kirkeby undergoes a transformative shift in both his artistic expression and the way he approaches his work. Abandoning his 1970s masonite and blackboard paintings – painted with bicycle lacquer in the standard 122×122 format – he moved towards more abstract oil compositions inspired by nature, often with minimal figurative or symbolic imagery. The landscape becomes prominent in his studies and, as a scientifically-minded artist, he approaches the subject with an eye for both the specific and the universal, as well as the natural and the cultural. The powerful and often destructive forces of nature have always fascinated humanity. The aftermath of a storm holds a special allure – a time when hope and despair coexist, and the promise of a fresh start intertwines with sorrow. Kirkeby is not unique in his attempts to capture this moment – one that defies the laws of normalcy, suspending time, place, and reason in an experience bordering on the spiritual and transcendent. 19th-century Romanticism particularly embraced “the sublime” – that pivotal moment when the grandeur of nature silences language, and the senses reign supreme. Romantic poets, artists and thinkers saw reason and emotion not as conflicting forces, but as complementary opposites, where the truth gained from personal experience was considered more valid than learned knowledge. “Efter Stormen I” aligns with the tradition of Caspar David Friedrich, William Turner and John Constable – and J.F. Willumsen for that matter – while brilliantly showcasing Kirkeby’s distinctive approach to pictorial composition. Kirkeby works in multiple layers, alternating between transparency and dense application. Broad, colour-saturated, contrasting brushstrokes on the right transition to quicker, shorter and more harmonious ones on the left. The colour scheme is dramatic, expressive, executed in the distinctive, luminous tones of winter. The motif is elusive, offering only hints without yielding to immediate interpretation. Is that Constable’s famous rainbow crystallising in the upper half of the painting? Or is it the fluorescent colours of the Northern Lights that Kirkeby is carrying with him from distant northern horizons? “A typical Kirkeby picture will look as if it is being surveyed through a thick curtain of ice. Bands of glowing colour form themselves onto clusters of verticals- The clusters of colour seem to be absorbing the light of the room and throwing it back at curious angles. The laws which govern the painting's structure are similar to those which shape the earth's crystals.” (Waldemar Januszcak: “A little icing on the German cake”, The Guardian, 4 December 1985. Review of Per Kirkeby: Recent Painting & Sculpture”, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London)