Ellen Jansen

In her paintings, Ellen Jansen engages in a quiet, playful dialogue with the viewer’s gaze. She uses composition, space, and light to guide that gaze — not along a fixed path, but as an invitation to slow down and pay attention. What is visible gains meaning in relation to what is hidden or absent.

Her work often originates from an inner space: a mood, a memory, a mental state. She translates these into silent scenes, isolated figures, or spaces that feel familiar yet elusive. Light and emptiness play a vital role. They structure not only the image, but also the feeling of distance, stillness, and timelessness.

Titles act as open clues — they suggest direction without offering explanation. This opens up a shared experience in which her inner world merges with that of the viewer. Her work balances between intimacy and estrangement, between clarity and suggestion — offering space to be moved, without fully defining what is seen