Norresan Revisited

'Norresan Revisited' is a 2-part Bornholm PhotoArt including an inspiration painting by Oluf Høst (W 60 cm x H 40 cm) and Mandy Stacey's Original Backlit Acrylic (A1: W 84.1 cm x H 59.4 cm) + Stories

The two pieces of art combine to make a beautiful, calming Mandy Stacey PhotoArt that celebrates the magic of Bornholm in a glowing colour palette of yellow, green and blue. 

A true celebration of magical Bornholm… Mandy Stacey's Backlit Montage seems to draw you in to reveal its secrets. Stunning photography of some of Bornholm’s most famous sights, like the luminous green Opal Lake, the icy blue harbour at Snogebæk, and the traditional yellow half-timbered houses in the heart of Gudhjem, is offset by golden sunsets, close-ups of nature, and vibrant paint samples by the famous Bornholm artist Oluf Høst (1884-1966).

But it’s not just the 52 images in the Montage that capture your attention, behind every image is a little story… and in the Gallery these were played as audio recordings when chosen by customers. A truly immersive experience that you can bring into your home too, either with audio or with the accompanying Booklet that explains the thinking and process behind the PhotoArt, as well as printed versions of the stories. (Available in English, Danish or German.)

Mandy Stacey produced this Original PhotoArt in early 2023 after completing her year-long project 'The Colours Of Bornholm: In All Four Seasons', drawing on her original Colour Palettes. Below, she explains her thinking behind 'Norresan Revisited':

"After discovering artist Oluf Høst's work in his Museum in Gudhjem in 2022, I was immediately drawn to his bold, expressionist painting where the joy of the colours spoke to me. Occasionally this happens to me with a fellow Colourist but with Oluf Høst it went deeper. I realised that we were capturing the same Bornholm landscapes - he in his oil paints, me with my modern PhotoArt. And despite being 80 years apart, we were sharing the same colour palettes, the same Bornholm. This gave me my idea for "The Colours Of Bornholm: In All Four Seasons" where a seasonal Oluf Høst painting was matched to my Season's Palette and then I created a Seasonal Montage for each of the four seasons.

I applied the same thinking here where I admired the 3-colour simple palette of yellow, green and blue in Oluf Høst's stunning 1955 Winter painting “View from the garden at Norresan”. My modern, bold backlit PhotoArt, echoing his palette and mood, and even containing his own paint strokes, becomes a homage to the great man himself."

Exhibited in 'The House Of Many Colours' in Allinge, the original PhotoArt shows Mandy Stacey’s large Backlit Montage hanging next to a reproduction on canvas of the painting by Oluf Høst that inspired it. Painted in 1955, Høst’s masterpiece “View from the garden at Norresan” shows his own house glowing gold in the afternoon winter sun, offset against the powerful turquoise sky and the vibrant blue of shadows-on-snow of the foreground. Side by side, it is easy to see the parallels in colour palette and composition.

As with all of Mandy Stacey's PhotoArt, there are layers of detail to appreciate within the Montage:

• Mandy Stacey’s large 'Hero Shots': “Opal Lake with Hammershus View, Hammeren”; Windmills with a Turquoise Sky”; “Yellow Houses in Gudhjem”; “Row of Winter Trees at Sunset”; “Bicycles on Balka Beach”; “View over Snogebæk Bay”; and “View over Nørresand from Norresan (Oluf Høst Museum), Gudhjem.
• Mandy Stacey’s 'Colour Samples' that capture a small slice of Bornholm life in all its detail from smokery chimneys to granite cliffs; from fields of flowers to ancient white churches; from blue, blue skies to the greenest of seas. All adding up to the very essence of Bornholm – capturing its spirit and its soul.
• Oluf Høst’s beautiful coloured 'Paint Samples' where the brushstrokes seem freshly painted.
• The little stories about each picture. Sometimes informative, sometimes inspiring, they’ll tell you where they were taken and why. Including insights into Oluf Høst’s painting through his 'Paint Samples'. 

'Norresan Revisited' is proving popular - the Art Poster version was a Gallery Bestseller in 2024.