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Lot Essay
Jóhannes Kjarval was one of the pioneers of Icelandic art in the beginning of the twentieth century and played a leading role in the development of Icelandic painting. His originality and unorthodox approach made him the grand maestro of Icelandic art and a living legend in Iceland.
During his stay in London 1911-12 he became acquainted with the works of Turner and Blake and in Copenhagen, where he studied art at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, he became familiar with the leading contemporary art movements. He remained loyal to his origins and his conceptual world revolved around the Icelandic landscape, people and folklore. As a former fisherman seascapes were also an important subject for him and he became particularly renowned for his interpretations of lava and moss. He often painted the same subject from the same place, in different seasons, brightness, and weather, exploring the endless flux of hues that appear in the interplay of light and earth colours, and studying the steady transformation that takes place in the world of nature. Liberal in his attitude to style, he employed an array ranging from realistic naturalism to unrestrained expressionism and even analytical cubism. In addition he evolved a highly personal symbolism rooted in Icelandic folklore and personifications of various spirits of nature which merged into his landscape interpretations.
Kjarval tended to work on his canvases over a long period of time, sometimes he painted and repainted his works over decades. The work Fantasy landscape is likely to have been in progress between 1935-45. Kjarval depicts a scenery that lies on the border between the known and the imaginative and leads us into the mystical world of the Icelandic late summer night.
We are grateful to Kristín G. Guonadóttir for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
During his stay in London 1911-12 he became acquainted with the works of Turner and Blake and in Copenhagen, where he studied art at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, he became familiar with the leading contemporary art movements. He remained loyal to his origins and his conceptual world revolved around the Icelandic landscape, people and folklore. As a former fisherman seascapes were also an important subject for him and he became particularly renowned for his interpretations of lava and moss. He often painted the same subject from the same place, in different seasons, brightness, and weather, exploring the endless flux of hues that appear in the interplay of light and earth colours, and studying the steady transformation that takes place in the world of nature. Liberal in his attitude to style, he employed an array ranging from realistic naturalism to unrestrained expressionism and even analytical cubism. In addition he evolved a highly personal symbolism rooted in Icelandic folklore and personifications of various spirits of nature which merged into his landscape interpretations.
Kjarval tended to work on his canvases over a long period of time, sometimes he painted and repainted his works over decades. The work Fantasy landscape is likely to have been in progress between 1935-45. Kjarval depicts a scenery that lies on the border between the known and the imaginative and leads us into the mystical world of the Icelandic late summer night.
We are grateful to Kristín G. Guonadóttir for her assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.