Marie Kroyer seated in the deckchair in the garden by Mrs Bendsens house (1893) by Peder Severin Krøyer

Marie Kroyer seated in the deckchair in the garden by Mrs Bendsens house (1893) by Peder Severin Krøyer

Sensual use of light and shade give this painting great depth and evocative magic. The gentle palette of green, white, and cream creates an immediate feeling of tranquility, and the viewer’s roving eye finds warmth in subtle tones of brown and dusky pink. The arch of the rosebush creates movement as it frames the woman reclining in the deckchair, forming an intimate vignette that draws us into her world. The garden is her place to relax, reading the newspaper with a dozing dog curled contentedly at her feet for companionship. She seems absorbed by the news, looking thoughtful, as if there is much happening in the wider world even though this moment in the garden oasis is frozen in time. The house is obscured by the abundance of roses in bloom, suggesting all domestic thoughts are banished here.