Stalingrad - Asger Jorn

A monumental abstract work by Asger Jorn, featuring dense, layered impasto that captures the chaotic intensity of its historical subject.

Stalingrad, also known as Non-existent Love, is a monumental work by the Danish artist Asger Jorn. Begun in 1957 and completed in 1972, the painting occupies a significant place in the artist's career. Jorn, a founding member of the CoBrA movement, utilised a dense, layered application of paint to convey the chaotic nature of the conflict. The surface is a collision of thick impasto, scraped textures, and aggressive brushwork, which obscures and reveals forms in equal measure. The composition avoids traditional perspective, opting instead for a frenetic, all-over approach that mirrors the disorientation of war. While the title references the Battle of Stalingrad, the imagery remains largely abstract. Fragments of figures and architectural shapes emerge from the swirling grey, white, and black pigments, punctuated by occasional flashes of yellow and blue. The physical weight of the paint suggests a struggle between the artist and the canvas, reflecting the visceral intensity of the subject matter. Jorn worked on this piece over fifteen years, repeatedly adding and removing layers. This process of accumulation and erasure creates a history within the work itself, where earlier iterations remain visible beneath the final surface. The result is a complex, tactile field that demands close observation. It avoids easy interpretation, instead presenting a raw, material response to historical trauma. The work is currently held in the collection of the Museum Jorn in Silkeborg, Denmark, where it remains a primary example of the artist's late style and his engagement with the psychological aftermath of the Second World War.