Wood-Variation II - Per Kirkeby

A large-scale abstract work by Danish artist Per Kirkeby, featuring layered, gestural brushwork and an earthy palette inspired by geological and organic forms.

Wood-Variation II is a representative example of Per Kirkeby's approach to painting during the 1980s. Kirkeby, who was trained as a geologist, often incorporated his understanding of natural structures and physical processes into his visual practice. This work avoids direct representation, instead favouring a layered application of paint that suggests the density and organic chaos of a forest floor or a geological cross-section.

The composition is built through a series of gestural marks and opaque colour blocks. The palette relies on deep earth tones, charcoal blacks, and sharp, acidic greens that cut through the darker areas of the canvas. These colours interact to create a sense of depth, though the space remains ambiguous and non-linear. Kirkeby applies paint with varying levels of opacity, allowing some areas to appear thin and washed out, while others are heavy and textured.

This piece reflects the artist's interest in the tension between the physical act of painting and the observation of the natural world. Rather than documenting a specific site, the work functions as a record of the artist's engagement with the medium. The structural elements, such as the pale, rectangular forms that hover in the upper half, provide a sense of rhythm against the more chaotic, organic brushwork below. The result is a work that invites the viewer to navigate its surface, finding patterns and forms that shift as one looks closer. It is a study in the balance between controlled composition and the raw, unmediated application of oil paint, characteristic of the Neo-Expressionist movement that gained traction during this period.