Birger Ljundqvist’s Siesta Hartsena is a portrait of the artist taking a break. It has the simple appearance of a pleasant summer scene on a bluff above the sea.
On the other hand, it may be more complex if the two women are the same in a different guise, one nude and the other clothed, suggesting that Ljungquist sees no conflict between sexuality and virtue.
The figures sit on the grass, but the blanket next to them has natural cups and a plate of cookies.
See Birger Ljungquist.Siesta Harstena (1943-1945). Oil on masonite. Ostergotlands Lansmuseum Gothenburg, Sweden