Maternal Love

An outstanding mid-century modernist abstract figurative composition, painted in oil onto board by Swedish painter Hans Osswald (1919-1983), whose works have been exhibited at the National Museum in Stockholm, Malmö Museum as well as The Brooklyn Museum.

The composition depicts a female figure, presumably a mother, tenderly holding her child. Rendered in bold, abstracted forms, the artist has distilled the essence of human connection into simplified, interlocking shapes and planes of colour. The absence of defined facial features allows emotion to arise from posture, proportion, and palette rather than expression, giving the scene both universality and intimacy.

Executed in a modernist idiom influenced by abstraction, the work blends figurative sensitivity with geometric reduction. The artist has employed thick, confident brushstrokes and layered impasto to create texture and rhythm across the surface. Areas of colour overlap subtly, suggesting depth and volume while maintaining a flattened, almost collage-like arrangement.

A harmonious palette of teal, browns, forest green, ivory, deep burgundy, and blue anchors the composition. The dark halo of the mother’s hair contrasts with the child’s pale, luminous tones, drawing the viewer’s focus to their gentle bond. The background of layered turquoise blues adds calm and balance to the composition, enhancing its contemplative quality.

This oil on board is presented in a complementary gilt frame. The painting is in excellent vintage condition, and the frame has some scuffs and areas of paint loss as shown.

Size: 72 x 57.5 cm (including frame)