At the Water Lily Pond

At the Water Lily Pond

Oil on canvas

Mått 130,50 x 84,00 cm Ram 145,00 x 98,70 x 6,00 cm

GKM 2021-5

Purchase, 2021

A vast lake, teeming with water lilies, stretches before us. Dusk is settling over the landscape. Far in the distance, thick reeds rise from the water at the forest’s edge. On land, dense deciduous trees with dark trunks take over. We are not the only ones observing this serene scene. In the foreground, a figure dressed in a light blue dress sits on a stone, hands resting in her lap. The water before her reflects the deep red of the sky. Her hair is braided and gathered at her neck. In a relaxed pose, she lets her gaze drift towards the horizon. What thoughts occupy her mind? Hilda Heyman (1872–1955) trained under several notable artists, including Carl Wilhelmson at the Gothenburg Museum School of Drawing and Painting (Valand), Fernand Léger in Paris, and at academies in Munich and Italy. Of Jewish descent, Heyman travelled widely in search of motifs. She often depicted people and places in Poland, Hungary, and Russia—regions still shaped by Jewish life at the time. During the Second World War, many of her works were confiscated by occupying German forces, but fortunately most were later returned to her unharmed.