Autumn at Thingvellir

Ásgrímur Jónsson was born in 1876 on a farm in the south of Iceland. Between 1900 and 1903 he studied in at the Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen. He returned to Iceland after 1909 having travelled quite extensively in Europe, encountering and becoming particularly influenced by the French Impressionists. The nature of his homeland however was his first love, and he sought especially to interpret the way in which light fell on his beloved landscape. He used both oils and watercolors to paint scenes of Iceland, but also illustrated folk tales and Icelandic stories. Jónsson died in 1958 as one of the most highly respected and innovative artists of the Icelandic nation. 

This painting is one of his later works, demonstrating a move towards a more expressionist style, particularly in the use of vibrant color and more abstracted forms. It is nevertheless still firmly rooted in romanticism, revealing the poetry that Jónsson found in the landscape, and showing a deep love and appreciation for the beauty of his homeland.

- Sarah