Ivan Andersen's 'La Nuit américaine' exhibition explores cinematic illusions through painting

Ivan Andersen's exhibition 'La Nuit américaine' ran at Galleri Bo Bjerggaard in Copenhagen from 21 April to 17 June 2017. The show featured paintings exploring cinematic illusions, particularly referencing François Truffaut's 1973 film of the same name about filmmaking techniques that create nighttime scenes during daylight. Works like 'Saloon' and 'Blue Screen' depict John Wayne in Western landscapes, while 'La Nuit américaine I and II' present nocturnal motel scenes with overpainting and scraping techniques that mimic dimmed night vision. Andersen's technical mastery appears in 'Fuldkorn,' showing a tower block at dusk with windows glowing in yellow, orange, and violet. Contrasting bright daylight appears in 'Ingenmandsland,' depicting an unpeopled Danish landscape with blanched clouds. Collage-like effects emerge in 'Fiskeben,' featuring isolated aquarium elements, and 'Rollespil,' with mirrored sky reflections in a lake. The exhibition includes the 'Topografi' series from 2016—sculptural hillocks made from folded canvases mounted on constructions with oak legs. Andersen's work evokes Robert Walser's literary tone, emphasizing careful observation of ordinary elements rather than extraordinary sights. The paintings demonstrate a preference for rural Danish calm over Hollywood's violent Americana, using techniques that manipulate perception through color obfuscation and visual trickery.