LANDSCAPES

Landscapes 

In 1969 the reading of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fairytales inspired the Queen to take up art in earnest. Tolkien’s picturesque descriptions of magnificent landscapes gave rise for example to the watercolour series Landscapes for Lost Legends (1976-1978). The pictures depict imaginary landscapes in areas of blue and green that flow beautifully together. They belong to a magical world beyond the time and space of reality. The title itself suggests a beautiful ‘lost’ world we can only dream of on the basis of the pictures we have of it.

The Queen’s subjects often revolve around nature. A fresh look at the early series Landscapes for Lost Legends gave the Queen the urge to paint another series of landscapes, for example From the Furthest Mountains. The Pass (2001). Here we see a landscape we can step into. A world in which we can lose ourselves. The landscapes are entirely unpeopled, timeless and mysterious. Nature appears at once compelling and daunting.