Summer Night

Dwelling in nature is important if one is to understand oneself in relation to other life on the earth. The Greek philosopher Socrates emphasized individuals knowing themselves, and on the facade of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi were written these precepts: Know thyself. This philosophical message is of vital importance as it implies that man must live by his own principles - and to do this he must develop his values. When we consider the work Summer Night, we see a harmonious relationship between the mother and daughter, the cow and the stillness of nature. The young girl in the image holds a yellow flower that reflects the yellow colour of the midnight sun.

At the center of Gunnlaugur Scheving’s work we frequently find common people who reference universal values, independent of place and time. He refrains from placing these people on a heroic pedestal, but exemplifies archetypes from Icelandic popular culture and endows them with universal meaning, irrespective of nationality or geographical position. In this way, he awakens our empathy while providing insight into the life and labour of working people. The works are not merely a hymn to these common people, they also portray in a nutshell the self-identity of the interwar generation in Iceland which made a significant contribution to bringing the country into the modern world. In the work Summer Night, one of Gunnlaugur’s best known works, he fastens his gaze on a bright summer night in the South, stillness spreading among men and animals while plants keeps growing around the clock. Here the artist turns his attention specifically to the connection between the cow and the woman, and between them the child, carrying a flower in its hand, which evokes images of the child Jesus. Here we have the holy trinity of an Icelandic summer night.