Lena Cronqvist
"Flicka som viftar på öronen och räcker ut tungan"(Girl wagging her ears and sticking out tongue)
Signed Lena Cronqvist and dated 2000. Numbered 3/4. Bronze. Height 95, length 70, width 25 cm. Foundry mark from Empire Bronze, New York.
Provenance
Galleri Dobloug, Oslo.
Private collection, Sweden.
Exhibitions
Galleri Dobloug, Oslo, "Lena Cronqvist", 26 April - 18 May 2003. Cover of the exhibition catalogue.
Lokstallet - Konsthall, Strömstad, "Årets konstnär - Lena Cronqvist", 2000, compare image on page 10.
More information
"Jag minns dem i motljus, i vår första trånga bostad i New York, de små vaxklumparna. Hur de - som om hon såg med fingrarna - förvandlades till varelser med utseende, karaktär, små fulvackra figurer i begynnelsen av livet, med hela registret av möjliga handlingar i sina gener. Och de l o g. De ler, räcker ut tungan, de sätter lillgammalt händerna i höfterna och beter sig överhuvudtaget inte salongsfähigt. De fnissar åt sig själva och oss. Och säkert äger de Namn, fast de för tillfället gömt undan dem, eftersom Namn skulle låsa dem ute från det utopiska land där varje handling - också de allra grymmaste - är tillåtna, varje grimas en utmaning, både mot världen och det JAG som de (vi) skall dresseras att bära, alldeles snart, när den abrupt tagit slut, Flickans tid. Barnets.
Varelser som lätt, mycket lätt, kan röra sig i båda världar."
Göran Tunström i katalogen till "Årets konstnär - Lena Cronqvist" (2000).
Designer
Lena Cronqvist is born and raised in Karlstad. Her interest for the arts came early in her life, and she spent the first year of her studies in England, near Bristol’s Art School. Upon her arrival back in Sweden, Cronqvist began a short-lived education at Konstfack, leaving to study painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. When examining Lena Cronqvist's painting, it delves into "painting" in its more traditional sense. She is indeed a painter in the grand modern tradition, frequently turning to Edvard Munch and Francis Bacon’s art as inspirational sources. Yet she also had numerous art historical references and a deep love for the craft. Cronqvist excelled as a colourist, finding harmony in the most unusual colour combinations – few have managed to paint warmth and cold successfully at the same time. Her subject matter is often perceived as challenging and overly private by many. She often models herself for her art, posing in mundane situations imbued with a sharp psychological character. Her “Modonna-pictures” from the 1970s are a good example of this. She turns our gaze away from the conventional, notably in her portrayal and depiction of girls, which is fascinating. Cronqvist depicts these girls as ugly, simple, and altogether uncomfortable – a great contrast to how woman were normally portrayed in art. In more recent years, Lena Cronqvist has studied the effect of aging, using herself as a study. Moreover, Cronqvist is a very successful sculptor, and several of her works in bronze have been sold great sums in the auction world. She is also gifted in graphic productions, of which “Strindbergsmappen” is the most well-known. Among her most renowned works is "The Betrothal," a paraphrase of Jan van Eyck's symbol-laden painting "The Arnolfini Portrait." In Cronqvist's reinterpretation, artist and husband Göran Tunström are the main characters, with equally weighty symbolism but carrying entirely different meanings. Where van Eyck's painting features a loyal dog, Cronqvist replaces it with a cat—a symbol of independence.
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