Slowly dipping below the horizon, the sun signals the end of the day. In the northern hemisphere it is the unveiling of one of the day’s most spectacular events played out in slow motion, stretching out for a seemingly endless hour as nature is splashed with deeper and deeper hues of blue. The twilight world that pushes aside the warm golden rays of daytime, forces a drop in temperature facilitating a condensation that form tiny life-giving droplets on each straw of grass and every leave. In that precise moment, as darkness takes its firm grip, a shimmer of dense blue appears in the horizon to the east; and the same blue that announced the end, reemerges as a glimmer of something new and unexplored.

In fact, there is always hope in Simonsen’s work. Whether it is the optimism and expectation in the early spring as young flowers start to bloom, or the looming darkness of sunset when the sky burns a deep orange and silhouettes of the trees loom tall in the low light, each scenery from the artist is a unique impression of the natural world. Always exuding an otherworldly quality, and yet touching on feelings all viewers will find familiar.

A key element of Simonsen’s practice is his palette. While the plants and trees are carefully observed from the natural world through his use of intense, bright and bold colours, he allows his works to push beyond the boundaries of nature and reality, and enter the world of imagination and fantasy. With colour playing a central role in the artist’s work it seems instinctive that he celebrates one of his favourite colours inspired by his Scandinavian roots - the colour blue. Representing both the sky and the water, Simonsen has always had a passion for the colour, and it is one that appears in his works in different variations, such as Blue Sloe (2016), Blue Butterflies (2017) and Blue Grass (2018).

One work entirely dedicated to the fascination with blue is Blue Hour. Referring to a period of time that happens just twice a day; right before the sun appears on the horizon in the morning, and after it has set in the evening. At these unique junctures, the indirect light creates a serene wash over the landscape with everything appearing in different shades of blue. The artist describes this light as having a sense of magic, and he is intrigued by its power to change the colours of nature for a moment in time.

Simonsen has meticulously drawn the individual plants portrayed in Blue Hour in a way that best captures their own distinct form. Drawn by the study of nature, he uses his collection of botanical books as a reference, as well as the many photographs and hand drawn sketches when visiting the Danish countryside. Blue Hour is a ‘close-up’ view of his plants, and the details and nuances of the forms represented are clearly recognisable as particular plant varieties.

Built up in varying blue tones, some elements have subtle contrasts, and others strikingly bold against the background. The layers appear to intertwine and merge, creating a sense of depth and movement in the work - and despite its monochromatic appearance, there are seemingly endless shades and tones that make up the scenery. The resulting landscape is haunting. Stinging leaves of nettles have changed from lush green into a dark purple; silhouettes of the poisonous hemlocks rise tall with clustered little white flowers that reflect the last light; and in the background, the wild meadow-grass slowly descend into darkness. Emphasised by the delicate layers of blue and capturing not only the impressionistic light and colour of the blue hour, the setting offers a distinct feeling of the beginning as well as the end; feelings which are inherently linked with these times of day.

To some viewers, Blue Hour gives a sense of anticipation. A feeling of what’s to come when the full light of the sun appears and the world bursts into colour. For others the work may impart the sensation of the end of a day, as everything starts to quiet, slow down, and the light gently fades away. Simonsen skilfully captures these very opposing impressions through this work.

“Occurring twice a day, the blue hour has a sense of completion to it. I always felt that after an end follows a beginning, but similarly that the end is also the beginning. Blue Hour is both the start and the end contained in one set of colour”.
Henrik Simonsen

The Eyestorm group show in London in the summer of 2011 - and the release of the screenprint Blue and Orange that same year - marked the beginning of a collaboration between Henrik Simonsen and Eyestorm. One that have introduced fourteen stunning exclusive print editions in the nine years between 2011 and 2019. Blue Hour belongs to one of Simonsen’s more complex works on paper with fourteen manually applied layers of inks, dominated by one single colour. The edition of only 38 is signed and numbered on front.

To view the print edition in further detail and to find more information about available works by Henrik Simonsen, visit the artist’s page here.