Vilhelm Hammershøi

He also journeyed to the surrounding countryside and locations beyond, where he painted rolling hills, stands of trees, farm houses, and other landscapes.

He refrained from employing bright colours (except in his very early academic works), opting always for a limited palette consisting of greys, as well as desaturated yellows, greens, and other dark hues.

Interpreters of the Hammershøi's interior paintings have often noted that their power to affect viewers lies in the unique atmospheres which the artist created.

He was sought out by artists and literary figures of the time, among them Emil Nolde and Rainer Maria Rilke, who both remarked on his retiring manner and reluctance to talk.

He is now one of the best-known artists in Scandinavia, and comprehensive retrospectives of his work have been organized by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Palin, wanting to know of his inspirations and the reason for these mystical pictures, started his search in Hayward Gallery in London, goes to Amsterdam and finally to Copenhagen.

[8] In June 2012, Hammershøi's Ida Reading a Letter was auctioned by Sotheby's in London for £1,721,250 or DKK 15,747,499, a record for any Danish work of art.

[9][10] In December 2018, following Christie's New York European Art auction,[11] The Getty Museum acquired the painting Interior with an Easel, Bredgade 25 (1912) for $5,037,500.