On the Road with Steen Larsen: A Journey Through Contemporary Realism

Steen Larsen’s paintings capture the quiet beauty of life on the road—where landscapes roll past like cinematic frames and fleeting moments are preserved in meticulous layers of oil. A distinctive voice in contemporary realism, Larsen merges photorealism with atmospheric abstraction, transforming windshield views, rain-soaked streets, and open highways into timeless works. Influenced by road movies, cross-continental travel, and the shifting moods of weather, his art invites moments of solitude and recalls the stillness we encounter in rare, unhurried pauses. In this exclusive interview, we trace his early influences, the road trips from Denmark to India that shaped his vision, and the enduring impact of his acclaimed Rainscape series on modern landscape painting.

Q: Let’s start off with a fun icebreaker: What’s your “secret weapon” snack that helps you survive long drives—and does it come with a fun backstory?

A: Long-lasting hours in my car put me in a zen-like condition. Driving from A to B, sometimes for miles and miles, hours after hours, puts me in a state of mind where I can’t escape and have to accept the terms of being behind the wheel. In my early thirties, I drove all the way from Denmark to India with my wife and, at that time, our two-year-old daughter, on an eight-month-long road trip. We drove 33,000 km in a Toyota HiAce we converted into a small camper with a kitchen and sleeping facilities. I think this trip was the beginning of my lifelong fascination with traveling. Nowadays, we often listen to podcasts and music to make the trip more entertaining. And licorice is a must-have to keep me awake…

Q: Can you share a bit about your early life and how your interest in art first began?

A: As a young man, I ended up at Dartington College of Arts in the UK. I was fascinated by what you call the London School of Figurative Painters, with pioneers like Francis Bacon, R.B. Kitaj, Lucian Freud, and Frank Auerbach. My professors were students of some of these masters. At Dartington, we had a lovely art library, and my favorite painting teacher often told me to look at “this” or “that” artist. This library was magical—it looked like it was part of Hogwarts in an old English castle. I spent hours upon hours diving into this big treasure of art books. Today, my art book collection is still a huge inspiration for me. One day, I was introduced to Edward Hopper—and he definitely made an impact on me, with his universe of almost movie-like paintings where time has stopped.

Q: You’ve mentioned previously that after high school, you took a road trip from Denmark to India—a journey that was both ambitious and transformative. What inspired that trip, and in what ways did it impact or jumpstart your art career?

A: I’ve been on two road trips to India. The first one was after high school—I hitchhiked with a friend from Denmark to Istanbul and then traveled by bus overland the rest of the way to India. The second was twelve years later with my wife and child. I think the inspiration for the first trip came from the hippie movement of the sixties. The headline was freedom. After twelve years of school life, we both had the urge to find our own freedom. India was certainly an eye-opener. Being nineteen years old and raised in a middle-class home in Denmark, India was an outstanding contrast. I especially liked that spirituality was not stored away in a church you visit once in a while, but was part of everyday life. The rickshaw driver, for example, would take three turns around his bike every morning with incense sticks to bless the day. Spirituality was everywhere… 

Q: You’ve said that the film Paris, Texas played a key role in shaping your approach to photographing the road and later translating those images into oil paintings. What was it about the film that first resonated with you?

A: At Dartington College of Arts, we had an art cinema every Sunday night. One day, the movie Paris, Texas by German director Wim Wenders was put on screen. This was my first introduction to the road movie genre. The film follows the main character, Travis, whom we meet in the opening scene in the middle of nowhere in Texas. The story unfolds as we drive through the landscape, following Route 66 from Texas to LA. The state of mind of Travis is symbolically shown in landscapes shot through the windshield of the car. The soundtrack, played by Ry Cooder on slide guitar, is outstanding—a masterpiece.

The town of Paris, Texas has since become mythical for me. In 2023, my wife and I decided to follow the route of the movie, driving from LA to Paris, Texas—a huge inspiration for many new paintings of mine. I think my artwork today is trying to translate the road movie into road paintings where I press the pause button. Much like in Paris, Texas, I mount a camera on the windshield of my car to take photos, which I then transfer into paintings. And today, especially on rainy days, I drive around my neighborhood to shoot photos for my Rainscape paintings.

Q:  Your work is rooted in mimetic realism, which is often seen as highly technical. Could you tell us how you bring atmosphere, emotion, or critique into such detailed precision?

A: At our local museum, ARoS here in Aarhus, where I live, we had a huge exhibition curated by Eric Meisel called This is America in 2011. All the big names from the American photorealism movement were shown in large-scale paintings—John Salt, John Kacere, Anthony Brunelli, Don Eddy, and many more. But especially one artist stood out for me: Robert Bechtle. Bechtle lived most of his life in Potrero Hill, outside San Francisco. I have visited Potrero Hill twice, and coming from Denmark—flat as a pancake—there is something about that topography that fascinates me. Today, I think I have moved my paintings into abstract photorealism—if that makes sense. Because of my blurry rain photos, my Rainscape paintings play with sharpness and blur. I love spending hours painting highly technical works—it still thrills and challenges me.

Q:  Your road scenes often evoke a deep sense of solitude. How do you think about isolation in your work—both as a visual element and an emotional undercurrent?

A: I think there is a huge difference between being lonely and being alone. I do like my own company—otherwise, I couldn’t spend so many hours in front of my easel every day painting. But I also have a wife and my family, who are very important and essential to me. I think art has to deal with the great existential feelings. We are born alone and we will die alone. I think each individual has to deal with these facts by themselves. Some people become religious, others find their own spirituality, some turn to art to find their meaning in life, and others get completely lost. For me, I think it’s a mix of it all.

Q:  Looking back often helps us understand where we’re headed. Your book Road brings together your work from the past 20 years. What was it like to see two decades of painting compiled in that format, and did it offer you any new perspective on your creative journey?

A: As a painter, you work with small collections of work—like making an album as a musician. These collections are displayed in galleries and, hopefully, sold to become part of private collections. But the musician still has their album to listen to; the artist is left empty-handed. My book Milestone (2025) documents two decades of my artwork—like a compilation of my paintings—and it makes so much sense to have my work eternalized in my art book collection.

Looking forward, I hope to stay curious, and hopefully there are many more road trips ahead—now in my electric car…

Steen Larsen’s paintings are more than technical achievements—they are meditations on solitude, movement, and the human search for meaning. Whether drawing inspiration from a rainy afternoon in Aarhus or retracing the cinematic routes of Paris, Texas, Larsen invites us to see the road as both a physical journey and an emotional one. His commitment to preserving moments of stillness in an ever-moving world ensures his work resonates far beyond the canvas. For collectors, curators, and art lovers seeking the finest in contemporary realism, Steen Larsen’s paintings offer not just a view, but a destination.

To see more of Steen Larsen’s incredible work and stay updated on his latest projects, be sure to follow him on Instagram and visit his website.