Anne Elligers

Anne Elligers

huile sur toile, 100×50 cm Coll. particulière

During the national holiday, the Norwegian people make a point of parading in traditional national costume. Anne Elligers, my partner’s mother, is never absent. Offering for her birthday, to someone you love and respect, their portrait, carries various risks. Angering a mother-in-law is hardly advisable… Behind Anne Elligers, the Norwegian mountains are purple, and the singular format of this portrait gives the character an iconic stature that pleases me. It is suitable for the solemnity of the celebration. The landscape takes up a fragment of a romantic Norwegian landscape painted by the Norwegian painter Johan Fredrik Eckersberg in the 19th century. The question of the eyes led to a tough negotiation with her daughter. In the absence of the model (as it was a surprise), I sought the gaze under her dictation. The gift was accepted, so I can publish it.