Karl Kvaran
Encyclopedia
Karl Kvaran was an Iceland
ic painter and draughtsman. He was born in Borðeyri
in western Iceland and died in Reykjavík
. He is considered one of the principal exponents of the geometric abstractionist school of painting in
Iceland in the early sixties.
Kvaran studied at the Iceland Academy of the Arts in Reykjavík (1943–45) and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen. He also studied under Peter Rostrup Bøyesen.
Kvaran was influenced by the abstract art of Svavar Guðnason
and Þorvaldur Skúlason
, an innovative development of the 1940s. Iceland experienced a period of prosperity in the post-war era and for the first time painters and writers began to form groups and movements. Kvaran and Kristján Davíðsson were important figures in the development of the geometric abstractionist school.
In the early part of his career (1942–52) he worked in a French-influenced post-Cubist style. The sculpted, "hammered" surface texture of his strongly composed paintings was created using regular, abrupt brush strokes.
At the beginning of the 1950s Kvaran abandoned figurative art for geometrical abstraction, using pure, uniform colour to create two-dimensional geometric forms. Kvaran was one of a number of Icelandic artists who contributed to a flourishing geometric abstraction movement during the 1950s.
Between 1958 to 1970 the structure of his large gouache paintings and pen-and-ink drawings became more relaxed, with straight lines replaced by a more rhythmic interplay of curved and circular shapes.
After 1970 Kvaran began painting much larger works in oil. Static formal shapes were replaced by more fluid constructions in intense shades of red, yellow and blue, accompanied by areas of black and whites. This style is said to have reached the climax of its development around 1979. His work was characterised by a thriftiness of style alongside increasingly complex dimensional interplay.
Kvaran is considered one of the main links between French-derived abstract painting and Minimalism. His daring use of intense colour matched with graphic skills marks him as a bridge between abstraction and Pop Art.
Along with Benedikt Gunnarsson, Bragi Ásgeirsson, Eiríkur Smith, Gerður Helgadóttir
, Gudmunda Andrésdóttir, Gudmundur Benediktsson, Hafsteinn Austmann, Hjörleifur Sigurdsson, Hördur Ágústsson, Jóhannes Jóhannesson, Jón Benediktsson, Kjartan Gudjónsson, Nína Tryggvadóttir, Svavar Gudnason, Sverrir Haraldsson, Valtyr Pétursson and Thorvaldur Skúlason. Kvaran's work was featured in a 1998 exhibition at the National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavík, "The Dream of Pure Form, Geometric Art of the 1950s". His work also featured in the 1998 National Gallery of Iceland exhibition "Icelandic 20th Century Art".
The National Gallery of Iceland will be showing a retrospective of Kvaran's work in November 2010. A number of Kvaran's works and a picture of the artist are displayed at the Frost and Fire Guesthouse website http://frostogfuni.is/english/gallery/karl_kvaran_e.html.
The Icelandic musician and composer Haflidi Hallgrímsson has composed a violin tribute to Kvaran, a close friend, "Offerto (In Memoriam Karl Kvaran)".
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic painter and draughtsman. He was born in Borðeyri
Borðeyri
Borðeyri is a small hamlet in north-west Iceland.It is a minor commercial centre for nearby farms. The population on 1 December 2007 was 25....
in western Iceland and died in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
. He is considered one of the principal exponents of the geometric abstractionist school of painting in
Iceland in the early sixties.
Kvaran studied at the Iceland Academy of the Arts in Reykjavík (1943–45) and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen. He also studied under Peter Rostrup Bøyesen.
Kvaran was influenced by the abstract art of Svavar Guðnason
Svavar Guðnason
Svavar Guðnason was an Icelandic painter.-Bibliography:*...
and Þorvaldur Skúlason
Þorvaldur Skúlason
Þorvaldur Skúlason was an Icelandic painter. He was born in Bordeyri.-References:...
, an innovative development of the 1940s. Iceland experienced a period of prosperity in the post-war era and for the first time painters and writers began to form groups and movements. Kvaran and Kristján Davíðsson were important figures in the development of the geometric abstractionist school.
In the early part of his career (1942–52) he worked in a French-influenced post-Cubist style. The sculpted, "hammered" surface texture of his strongly composed paintings was created using regular, abrupt brush strokes.
At the beginning of the 1950s Kvaran abandoned figurative art for geometrical abstraction, using pure, uniform colour to create two-dimensional geometric forms. Kvaran was one of a number of Icelandic artists who contributed to a flourishing geometric abstraction movement during the 1950s.
Between 1958 to 1970 the structure of his large gouache paintings and pen-and-ink drawings became more relaxed, with straight lines replaced by a more rhythmic interplay of curved and circular shapes.
After 1970 Kvaran began painting much larger works in oil. Static formal shapes were replaced by more fluid constructions in intense shades of red, yellow and blue, accompanied by areas of black and whites. This style is said to have reached the climax of its development around 1979. His work was characterised by a thriftiness of style alongside increasingly complex dimensional interplay.
Kvaran is considered one of the main links between French-derived abstract painting and Minimalism. His daring use of intense colour matched with graphic skills marks him as a bridge between abstraction and Pop Art.
Along with Benedikt Gunnarsson, Bragi Ásgeirsson, Eiríkur Smith, Gerður Helgadóttir
Gerður Helgadóttir
Gerður Helgadóttir was an Icelandic sculptor and stained glass artist.She studied at the Art and Craft School of Iceland , in Denamrk, at the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze and at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris...
, Gudmunda Andrésdóttir, Gudmundur Benediktsson, Hafsteinn Austmann, Hjörleifur Sigurdsson, Hördur Ágústsson, Jóhannes Jóhannesson, Jón Benediktsson, Kjartan Gudjónsson, Nína Tryggvadóttir, Svavar Gudnason, Sverrir Haraldsson, Valtyr Pétursson and Thorvaldur Skúlason. Kvaran's work was featured in a 1998 exhibition at the National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavík, "The Dream of Pure Form, Geometric Art of the 1950s". His work also featured in the 1998 National Gallery of Iceland exhibition "Icelandic 20th Century Art".
The National Gallery of Iceland will be showing a retrospective of Kvaran's work in November 2010. A number of Kvaran's works and a picture of the artist are displayed at the Frost and Fire Guesthouse website http://frostogfuni.is/english/gallery/karl_kvaran_e.html.
The Icelandic musician and composer Haflidi Hallgrímsson has composed a violin tribute to Kvaran, a close friend, "Offerto (In Memoriam Karl Kvaran)".