What do we see in a painting without figures?
The usual motif is absent, as is the title. The picture consists of shapes, placed seemingly randomly in the surface. They somehow present an end in themselves, making up an abstract realm that allows for rest and contemplation. It gives us the opportunity to regard the painting itself in a new way, without "distractions".
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When looking at abstract pictures we usually wish to interpret them, to see recognizable shapes that make up a content, a story. Titles can often be an aid in this respect. They may give some indication as to what the artist intended, and encourage associations. Christensen's painting is called "Untitled" - so there is no help to be got.
The picture is characterized by a sensuous quality, a pronounced focus on the relationship between color and shape. It is soft, expressive, colorful. More than any recognizable objects it creates associations to other abstract phenomena: music, emotions. To look at Christensen's paintings is like walking into an open space in our minds: depending on how we look, we can experience vastly different associations. And nothing is right or wrong.
Therese Christensen (1946 -) works exploratively with her paintings. Deadly serious, she plays around with different means, compositions and colors. She makes us aware of the fundamental difference of the painting, through a continuous interest in the medium's history, tradition, language and materiality. Christensen's paintings have been exhibited in a number places in Norway and abroad. Among her decorations should be mentioned a large mural at the Nord-Trøndelag University College.