Stimmungslandschaft | Daniel Ablitt

Sarah Wiseman Gallery is pleased to present Stimmungslandschaft, painter Daniel Ablitt's fourth solo exhibition with the gallery. Featuring a new collection of contemporary landscape paintings, the exhibition explores our emotional responses to nature and the enduring human desire to connect with the landscape. Through tranquil compositions and contemplative imagery, Daniel Ablitt invites viewers to reflect on moments of solitude, introspection and wonder.

Daniel Ablitt’s paintings combine childhood memories while travelling with part-imagined landscapes, engaging with the profound affect it has on us human beings. He combines delicate dot work with washes of colour resembling a vast open sky or body of water, maximising the precision in the detail amongst negative space. The inclusion of a distant figure draws the viewer’s attention while illuminating the space surrounding them, enhancing the sensation of the landscape’s scale.  

The term Stimmungslandschaft derives from 19^th century German Romanticism, particularly painter Caspar David Friedrich. It translates to ‘Mood Landscape’, meaning to depict emotion through the visuals of a landscape.  The style typically includes an isolated figure immersed in the composition, turned away from the viewer, contemplating the scenes beyond them. Daniel Ablitt’s painting echoes the essence of the movement through his rhythmic brushwork and tranquil compositions.

In this collection, Daniel takes us to ethereal landscapes that leave us in awe while feeling quietly familiar. ‘Moorland Summit’ presents a windswept scene, the terrain rendered in expressive brushstrokes that echo the rich wilderness of the ground. A solitary figure in a red jacket stands near the top of a small hill, facing away from the viewer, their presence drawing us into the atmosphere further. The painting ‘On the Glacial Shore’ takes us to snow dusted mountains, lined with a muted turquoise body of water in the foreground. The dusky pink sky is suggestive of a chilled evening sunset, while a figure walks along the shoreline.

Daniel Ablitt studied Fine Art at Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh and Cheltenham & Gloucester College of Higher Education. He has worked full time as an artist since 2002 and exhibits internationally. He works in Jamaica Street Studios, Bristol.

Stimmungslandschaft will also include ceramics by makers Sue Gunn & Hannah Heys. Sue Gunn’s tactile candelabras combine function and sculpture with bubbled and cracked glazes, reminiscent of the earth’s surface. Their eccentric forms resemble the human intervention in the natural world, fired at intense heat in the kiln allowing the elemental process to lead their final outcome. Hannah Heys’ decorative vases are inspired by the juxtaposition of architecture and nature. The abstract freehand designs on each are created using the ancient technique of sgraffito, each line etched by hand with precision. Each vessel varies in size, from miniature to large, making them collectible modern heirlooms.

The exhibition will open on Thursday 3^rd September, and run until its final day on Saturday 26^th September.