Simplistic figures from folkloric myths, iconic symbols and wild ornamentation dissolve in an abstract yet austere visual expression in Rosenkildes paintings. The works become almost subjectless, not because all figuration is erased, but because Rosenkilde places her emphasis on the total expressiveness of the image. Just like in a pattern where all shapes and colors carries equal importance for the entire ornament. The tappering ellipse, which bringes to mind the female genitalia, is repeated everywhere; in leaves, eyes and ornaments. The feminine is emphasized but longings, primal forces and occult figures are also hidden behind the decorative beauty. 

 

The many layers of paint are thick due to a material mixed into the oil paint, which gives a very heavy texture. The paintings achieve a tactile, handmade feel to them, almost like an old hand-woven tapestry. 

Rosenkilde’s paintings contain references to 20th century modernism. Especially cubism, where feelings and experiences were infiltrated in a non-figurative form of expression. In particular a relation to the way of fragmenting the motif and making it abstract and thereby removing it from specific time and space is recognized in Rosenkildes paintings. 

The abstract element interests Rosenkilde because this genre allows the viewer to feel, experience and create their own story, rather than analyze and intellectualize the painting. This is for Rosenkilde a way of connecting the visuality of painting to the inner life of the viewer.