Den gode dreng med sine vilde heste

Mythical and fairytale figures, some kind of cross between humans and gods, populate the world of Carl-Henning Pedersen, one of the Danish members of the Cobra movement. Here the image is dominated by an enormous figure rising up from the bottom left corner at a slight angle. The figure is holding its hand in front of its mouth in a gesture that is hard to interpret. As often in Pedersen’s work, the head and eyes are disproportionately large. In this respect, Pedersen was influenced by prehistoric art and the frescos in the medieval village churches of his homeland. Bottom right, two small animal figures can be seen, one on top of the other. These are the wild horses referred to in the title. By placing one of them in the foreground, Pedersen has reduced both figures to miniature proportions. This depiction, pasted on with thick brushstrokes, is composed of gray and black lines on a white background and complemented with violet and a little blue, particularly in the top half. In comparison with most of his work, this piece shows a strikingly monotone use of colour.