Ålesund
In Ålesund, Chase Langford transforms the dramatic geography of Norway’s western coast into a dense, rhythmic abstraction. The painting unfolds through stacked, undulating strata, suggesting an aerial or geological view in which sea, islands, mountains, and shoreline become interwoven. The palette is dominated by icy blues, turquoise, white, and cool gray, punctuated by passages of black, ochre, brown, and deep blue. These darker forms anchor the composition, emerging like rocky islands or exposed geological formations amid flowing expanses of water and snow.
Bands seem to drift across the canvas like currents, while compressed folds and abrupt interruptions create a sense of geological pressure or rock formation. Langford’s cartographic background is evident, but geography serves as a point of departure rather than a literal subject.
I was in Ålesund in June (2025). I was really excited to see this picturesque town with its colorful buildings lining the waterfront aglow in the Norwegian sun as shown online. What I saw was gale force rain and winds that threw me momentarily in the air. Even the Norwegians were nowhere to be found as I bravely explored the town. – Chase Langford