The bridge to Enø.

The Bridge to Enø (1902) depicts a crossing to the small Danish island of Enø near Karrebæksminde through a bridge or causeway that connects it to the mainland. The bridge as a subject represents a physical and symbolic threshold: the transition from one place to another, the joining of island to continent, the meeting point of water and land. Ring painted bridges and their associated crossings throughout his career, finding in them the same interest in boundary and transition that motivated his fog and thaw subjects.

The bridge creates a strong horizontal or diagonal element within the composition, and Ring would typically use its solid architectural form to anchor a composition otherwise dominated by atmospheric sky and water. His treatment of water reflection and the soft light on the bridge structure are characteristic of his technical concerns.