description

Dennis Møgelgaard (Denmark 06-06-1959)

Dennis Møgelgaard
Still life with hands, bottle and egg, 2023
Oil on panel
46 x 47 cm

Detail Description

Dennis Møgelgaard pursued his desire to paint throughout his life, and mainly taught himself how to get to the results we can now see in his images. The lack of academies in Denmark might have thought him the traditional ways of painting led him to create his own unique style instead, creating step by step the still life compositions which we can now appreciate.

 

A table-top with a dripping white cloth is the set for just a few elements that populate the surface: a toast bread, an egg or a mug. A bigger object often centers the eyes within the image while surrounded by several other elements which fulfill the surrounding space and also add layers to the context. The performance is centered, and more than just a composition of objects, they convey personal moments through distorted perspectives. The somewhat 'unnatural' perspective of the compositions let us deeply immerse in the paintings. It is almost as if we have forgotten something on that crowded table ourselves, and while currently looking for it, we find distractions in something else.

 

The objects on display are also unobtrusive, with a slightly different tone than the large surfaces. Here and there a color accent has been applied, in the form of a few berries, a box, etc. The composition is very precisely worked out. In terms of composition, light and technical perfection, we can maybe see inspirations of Magic Realists of the 1930s in Møgelgaard's paintings. The painter discovered the work of artists such as John Koch, Dick Ket and Carel Willink during his search for recognition in art. However, more often than not, he distances himself from these artists. The choice to get closer to contemporary elements in his paintings situates the scene again in our present day; a yellow plastic straw, a paper Denmark flag on a toothpick, a consumed Staedtler pencil. He shares this balance between photorealistic technical mastery and 'pop' objects with the Italian painter Domenico Gnoli.

 

The artist is a member of a group of like-minded colleagues who founded the Danish Figuration in 1989. They strive for greater public appreciation for Danish realism through exhibitions at home and abroad. The painter ended up in the Netherlands in search of recognition for his work. There he found what he was looking for. Møgelgaard has been included in the stable of Mokum in the past, and we are happy to present his new paintings in the upcoming months.