Hygge by a Fireplace in Art

Magda Michalska 1 December 2022 min Read

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Have you ever heard of Hygge? It’s a Danish and Norwegian word used to describe a feeling of coziness. Whether you’re home alone or out with friends, you can feel hygge. You just need to recognize it and enjoy being in the present. Inspired by this beautiful word, I searched for hygge in art and found it by a fireplace.

You don’t need to buy anything to be “hyggelig”, nor change your lifestyle. It literally only requires some mindfulness and tranquility to realize that you feel cozy. The Scandinavians created hygge to survive dark and cold days during which a simple act of having a cuppa or lighting a candle could make a real difference to one’s mood.

robert Campin, Madonna and Child Before a Fireplace, 1430 Hermitage Museum, Sankt Petersburg — Hygge in Art: Robert Campin, *Madonna and Child Before a Fireplace,* 1430, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

We all should take an example from this baby Jesus, enjoying his mummy’s embrace and the warmth of the fire. Just lie comfortably in the company of your family or friends and cuddle, cuddle, cuddle.

Hygge in Art: Childe Hassam, The Fireplace, 1912, private collection. WikiArt. — Hygge in Art: Childe Hassam, *The Fireplace*, 1912, private collection. WikiArt.

Or, if you prefer to be alone, wait until the house is empty and enjoy a moment of solitude, finally having a chance to think things over. You can stand or…

Lucian Freud, Armchair by the Fireplace, 1997, Private Collection, hygge in art — Hygge in Art: Lucian Freud, *Armchair by the Fireplace*, 1997, private collection. WikiArt.

… sit down in your favorite armchair. Oh, how I love armchairs! Lucian Freud, (yes, he was a grandson of Sigmund Freud), the British painter and draftsman known for his portraits, must have loved armchairs too.

Hygge in Art: Adriaen van Ostade, A Talk at Fireplace, c.1640, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. — Hygge in Art: Adriaen van Ostade, *A Talk at Fireplace*, c.1640, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

By creating effortless rituals, such as stopping at the same bookshop once in a while, or reading our DailyArt app every day, you can make give yourself a little piece of art to enjoy.

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