I liked the portraits. They were all painted with strong blocks of colour and daubs of paint. The subjects all have a rather faraway look, not quite gazing at us but at some imagined object or deep in thought.

Likewise, the visionary landscapes are filled with colours jostling in a large-scale pointillist style and strong outlines done with broad brushstrokes. His paintings project a very individual form of surrealism and an evolution of the ‘fauvists’ which preceded him. There’s more calculation involved with these works. Most of the scenes are views of Norwegian countryside, where Mägi lived between 1908 -10.

Mägi was a very successful artist in his lifetime 1878-1925. He died at just 46 and, given he was only working for sixteen years, this exhibition presents an impressive impression of his output. You certainly get the idea that you are seeing a modernist style taking its place just as European art was evolving into something much more abstract.

The show is on at the Dulwich Picture Gallery until 12th July 2026.