Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval (15 October 1885 – 13 April 1972)
Jóhannes Kjarval is widely considered one of Iceland’s most important artists.
Kjarval was born into poverty and worked as a fisherman. He spent all of his spare time drawing and painting and managed to learn basic skills from Ásgrímur Jónsson. When he was 27 years old, Kjarval was offered financial help from fellow fishermen and the Icelandic Confederation of Labour and was enrolled at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. During his time there he discovered Impressionism, Expressionism and Cubism and become a highly accomplished draughtsman.
Kjarval became a prolific painter, leaving thousands of drawings and paintings behind after his death. His paintings vary massively in style and he often incorporated several styles into one piece to create a very personal and distinctive aesthetic. Although not a Surrealist, some of his works include absurd and fantasy elements, including elves and myths in his landscapes. His works regularly depicted Icelandic landscapes and lava formations, but many pieces magnified the details of closest ground and paid less attention to the mountains and landscapes in the back.
Kjarval’s subject matter can be categorised into three groups: landscapes, portraits and fantasies or works of imagination, although the three often overlap. His unique and eclectic mix of styles makes it difficult to classify Kjarval’s art. Simply calling him a landscape painter does not do justice to the skill and originality he brought to his work. With his exploration of Expressionism, Abstraction, Cubism, landscapes, portraiture and drawings, he was a real innovator and remains quite unique among world painters.
Kjarval also dabbled in poetry.
The Most Supreme Being on Earth
It is you!
Gorgeous bird – which I
Believed in one fleeting moment
A whole day, or
Half an hour.
You were my signal
of other things which
my heart desired.
You were the author
Of great aspirations.
You guided my love
As you dashed along the paths.
The heaths were strewn
With colourful blossoms
Of life – they were
The greatest thing I had known
as I didn’t touch
A single one because of you.
You are the most supreme
Of all there is –
Everything else is great
Because of you.
I could post hundreds of his paintings here, and I would still struggle to show just how unique and eclectic Kjarval’s work truly is, so I urge you all to look him up on the internet, and immerse yourself in his beautiful world. I also found it hard to find all the details I wanted about the paintings I did post, so if you are able to fill in any of the blanks, please do comment and let me know.
On a side note, whilst I was writing this blog, I stumbled upon this video, filmed by the Reykjavík Grapevine magazine, and thought it would also be of interest.