"Some naive artists do not seek professional instruction but just begin painting, often with impressive results...Others acquire some technical know-how, and if they are lucky in their choice of teachers, their imagination doesn't suffer."
—page 8, Naive and Fantastic Art in Iceland by Adalsteinn Ingólfsson.
---
My friend and fellow writer Dave gave me a copy of this book as a gift and it is absolutely stunning. There are eleven Icelandic artists featured and their art, although different in approach and execution, is all without academic or artistic training behind it. These pieces of art are beautiful visions of their creators—personal and powerful.
---
My favorite featured artists are Karl Einarsson Dunganon, Sölvi Helgason, and Thórdur Valdimarsson (as Kíkó Korríró).
---
Dunganon's works feature a limited color palette of brick red, orange, blue-green, umber, golden yellow, and black, all with white outlines. Most feature strangely elongated animals and human figures, perhaps mythological creatures. And if they aren't the creatures of an established mythology, then they definitely figure as the characters of one for Dunganon.
---
Helgason's pieces are filled with intricate handwritten text, human figures with multiple eyes, fluid lines and forms, soft pencil and pen textures, and scatological "humor."
---
Valdimarsson's mixed media drawings are vibrant and chaotic, filled with wild and bold colors, dark outlines to contain the color, and a dynamism that threatens to leap off the page. Many of the pieces make me feel like I'm going to be bitten at any moment!
---
I think I sense a few near future chalk art pieces that are influenced by these three artists.
No comments:
Post a Comment