Niels Strobek "Modern Danish Master"

While his work shows an intense understanding of historical painting, and his mark making the sign of a seasoned hand, viewer be wary of dismissing Niels Strobek’s work as traditionalist. Modern Danish Master features 11 of his portraits and landscapes, all of which follow the trajectory of realism. Strobek’s work has a sense of timelessness, but just enough detail to modernize the style. Details like the woman’s facial piercing in Irishat, and the architecture in Yellow Farm date the subjects to contemporary western culture. A majority of the work relies on this dichotomy between modern subjects and traditional technique, in a way that exoticizes our own culture. While historical style brings content to one aspect of his work, it becomes quite problematic in another.

Not only does Strobek participate in the western canon’s depiction of female subjects by male artists, he repeats many of the same problems pointed out through history. The women he depicts are very much aware of the male gaze. Most make eye contact with their audience, and are subtly suggestive based on their class. The wealthier women, denoted by their dress, show sexuality through powerful poses, like a woman in Sisters, with her knee bent exposing her bare leg, and her chest square to the audience. Compare to the woman with laundry in Basket, who is equally as engaging, but through submission as she turns her back to the audience and peeks over her shoulder. Images of candles next to cups, pins piercing flowers, and a woman holding an apple add an allegorical level to the way Strobek depicts the subjects’ sexualities. What further complicates these portraits is their placement next to landscapes. While the two subject matters seem to come from different lines of thought, they are equally valued by displaying them together. This reinforces the cliché correlation of women to nature. His depiction of women undermines his attempts to progress canonical painting. As wonderfully rendered as Strobek’s paintings may be, as long as he continues to repeat gender blunders of the past, his work will remain in limbo between modern and traditional.