Lumière du Nord

From misty fjords to light-filled interiors, 19th-century Northern European drawing unfolds a light unlike any other. The Musée d'Orsay presents the "Northern Light" exhibition featuring a selection of Scandinavian and Dutch sheets from its collections, from February 10 to May 10, 2026. Symbolist landscapes and domestic scenes converse to reveal the little-known richness of these Northern schools.

Four artists united by the Northern diffuse light Visitors step into the quiet space of the graphic arts cabinet and immediately discover the expressive power of northern drawing. "Northern Light" at Musée d'Orsay brings together works by Carl Larsson, Peder Severin Krøyer, Carl Johan Forsberg, and Philippe Smit. These artists share a fascination with the diffuse clarity bathing the landscapes and interiors of Northern Europe. Carl Johan Forsberg (1868–1938), Pax, 1905, watercolor, gouache and gum arabic on paper mounted on panel, 52.4 × 72.4 cm. RMN-Grand Palais / Sophie Crépy Carl Larsson and Peder Severin Krøyer embody the domestic vein of this display. Their drawings capture tender, light-filled moments of everyday life. A face touched by daylight, a familiar gesture caught in the softness of a Scandinavian interior: each sheet invites a slower gaze. Alongside them, Carl Johan Forsberg and Philippe Smit, both little known in their lifetimes, bring a more contemplative symbolist dimension. Forsberg, a Swedish watercolorist born in 1868, created Pax in 1905, a meditative composition inspired by the Swiss Alps. Smit, a Dutch painter born in Zwolle in 1886, developed a style imbued with poetic mysticism, inspired by the poetry of Verlaine and the music of Debussy. The proximity imposed by the graphic arts cabinet enhances the intimacy of each line. Viewers perceive the finesse of washes, subtle gouache highlights, and technical mastery characterizing 19th-century Nordic graphic art.

Between the mystery of landscapes and the serenity of interiors The "Northern Light" exhibition at Musée d'Orsay is organized around two poles that respond to each other with subtlety. On one side, Northern symbolist landscapes immerse the viewer in compositions charged with mystery. Natural elements take on philosophical meanings. Fluid lines and delicate contrasts suggest the immaterial, opening a reading beyond the visible. On the other, domestic scenes anchor the journey in the everyday. Carl Larsson and Peder Severin Krøyer depict peaceful interiors suffused with natural light that softens every shape. A child playing, a table set by the window: these family moments breathe serenity. Philippe Smit (1886–1948), Moonlight, Maartensdijk, 1916, pastel on cardboard, 88 × 69 cm. Created in July 1916 in the Netherlands, this large pastel testifies to Philippe Smit's art during the period when World War I forced him to stay in Holland, hosted by patrons Nicolaas and Berendina Urban in Laren. Born in Zwolle in 1886, Smit grew up in Paris from the age of nine and was passionate about the symbolist poetry of Verlaine, Baudelaire, and Mallarmé, as well as the music of Claude Debussy. His style, described as "impressionist realism" or "mystic symbolism," combines the rich chromaticism specific to pastel and a spiritual quest inspired by Emanuel Swedenborg's writings. The title Moonlight refers to Verlaine's eponymous poem from Fêtes galantes, which Debussy set to music — a convergence of poetry, music, and painting running throughout Smit's work. This pastel entered the Musée d'Orsay's collections in 2024 thanks to a donation from The Lord's New Church of Bryn Athyn (Pennsylvania).

A dialogue between collection eras serving Nordic drawing "Northern Light" demonstrates the active acquisition policy of the Musée d'Orsay in favor of foreign artists. Recent acquisitions of Swedish and Dutch artists stand alongside sheets added to the national collections over a century ago. This dialogue between collecting periods builds a living, nuanced narrative. The acquisition of Pax by Carl Johan Forsberg in 2022 illustrates this dynamic. The artist considered this 1905 symbolist watercolor his masterpiece. It enriches a fund lacking representations of Nordic symbolist landscape painting. In 2024, pastels by Philippe Smit, including Moonlight, Maartensdijk from 1916, complemented the Dutch panorama of the collection. ️ Curator Caroline Corbeau-Parsons, keeper of graphic arts and painting, orchestrates this link between recent acquisitions and historical sheets. In the graphic arts cabinet, the intimate space encourages attentive viewing. The graphic qualities of each sheet fully reveal themselves: line precision, subtle washes, fragility of the paper supports. Carl Olof Larsson (1853–1919), Young Woman Reclining on a Bench, 1913, black ink with pen, pencil, and gouache on paper, 51.5 × 73 cm This curatorial choice highlights the vitality of a museum that continues to open up to European diversity. Visitors appreciate how these successive enrichments shape a more complete vision of Northern graphic art. The exhibition ends May 10, 2026: time is limited to discover these paper treasures.