Lena Cronqvist
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"Självporträtt, sax"
Signed Lena Cronqvist. Canvas 150.5 x 117.5 cm.
Provenance
Galleri Lars Bohman, Stockholm.
Exhibitions
Galleri Lars Bohman, Stockholm, "Lena Cronqvist", 14 januari - 19 februari 2006.
Literature
Galleri Lars Bohman, "Lena Cronqvist Self-portraits", 2006, exhibition catalogue, illustrated on fullpage.
More information
Ända sedan Lena Cronqvist debuterade i mitten av 1960-talet har hon ansetts som en av landets stora konstnärer med ett egensinnigt bildspråk. Samma teman har återkommit gång på gång och ofta har vi mött mycket personliga målningar. Vi har vant oss vid att se de små flickorna bland vuxendockor, gorillor, hundar m.m. Men under de senare åren har något hänt med Lena Cronqvists motivkrets. Det har blivit mer avskalat och mer okonstlat än tidigare. En vändning som till stor del började kring 2003 då hennes make Göran Tunström avled. De små flickorna blev då en vuxen, mogen kvinna. En Lena Cronqvist av idag. Hon möter oss rättfram och med endast ett fåtal attribut. I målningen "Självporträtt, sax" möter vi en av de bekanta vuxendockorna som blir av med något runt halsen. Är det en slips? Ett rep? Det som sitter åt klipps bort och kanske talar det om att det är lättare att andas. Målningarna som visades på Lena Cronqvist utställning på Galleri Lars Bohman 2006, där också detta självporträtt fanns med, visade en Lena Cronqvist i 2000-tals förpackning men med samma intensiva färger och egensinniga bildspråk som förut. Ett bevis på att tiden har gått sedan debuten på 60-talet men att drivkraften och skapandet finns kvar. Eller som Lena Cronqvist själv uttryckte det i en artikel i SvD i samband med utställningen;"- Jag måste måla för att leva. Så enkelt, eller svårt är det."
Artist
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 Yet she also had numerous art historical references and a deep love for the craft.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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