I suppose we learned about hygge first-hand during a ‘house-swap’ with our Danish painting tutor Annelise Pio Hansen in the early 2000s, when the Breckon family spent a week or so in Denmark, not only staying in Annelise’s house, but also meeting her painting friends, who entertained us in their homes, making us feel welcome, cared-for and comfy. In a word, hygge.
Hygge is a concept heartily embraced by the Danes, And I’m grateful to my favourite online art magazine DailyArt for this definition: “Hygge is the feeling of coziness and contentment that simple comforts evoke, such as being wrapped in a blanket, having good conversations, enjoying food, etc.”
You may wonder why I am consulting an art magazine for the definition of a Danish word for contentment. Well, Meik Wiking, CEO of The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, identified ten happiness-inducing factors in The Hygge Manifesto: atmosphere, presence, pleasure, equality, gratitude, harmony, comfort, togetherness and shelter — and in her article in DailyArt, Ledys Chemin reckons that artists have done more than their fair share in promoting those factors. You can read the whole article by clicking here, but I just thought I would give you a flavour what she means.
Take pleasure, for example. The picture at the top, Hip, Hip, Hurrah! Artists’ Party, Skagen, by Peder Severin Krøyer, is, says Ledys, “an idyllic snapshot of life among the artists from the Skagen Colony. This group of painters gathered together because they rejected the strictures of the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Instead, they tried to depict everyday life in the style of the Realist, Naturalist, and Impressionist movements.”
She adds: “Krøyer’s painting looks so very spontaneous and natural to us, but, it actually took him four years to complete in full… The result, however, is a painting full of light, liveliness, and camaraderie.”
Or how about presence :
Mindfulness, being fully in the moment, is an essential part of hygge. Ledys Chemin says: “In this delightful painting, Sofonisba Anguissola portrays the meaning of presence… Anguissola painted The Chess Game when she was 23 years old. In the painting, we see her sisters Lucia, Minerva, and Europa, enjoying a moment of fun. This was quite revolutionary for the time when subjects were usually portrayed in very formal or allegorical settings. This painting is an early example of what is now called a conversation piece, or an informal portrait of a group engaged in an activity together—the very soul of hygge!”
And harmony?
Ledys writes: “Science is still split on whether it is better to have fewer close friends or a wide circle of acquaintances, though everyone agrees that relationships greatly influence one’s level of happiness. Whatever the optimal number is for you, letting good will and harmony permeate your relationships is always a good idea.”
In Georges Seurat’s Bathers at Asnières, “the harmony of colours produces a very pleasant effect, but we also observe harmony of the bathers with nature, and in a way with each other, each minding his own business undisturbed.”
As I said above, you can read the whole of the article about art and hygge’s ‘ ten commandments’ by clicking here. As the winter cold begins to nip us, in the northern hemisphere at least, we hope that we have added a little warmth and comfort to your day. And we would like to invite you to experience the Watermill’s special brand of hygge on one of our convivial creative courses next year. You can read all about them by clicking here.