Lena Cronqvist

“One thing is clear it is Cronqvist’s girls who are in charge of this puppet-world. They are not victims. They have their own free will. They’re in command of their world, these tables, baths and waters” writes Mårten Castenfors in the book Lena Cronqvist published by the Swedish Association for Art (SAK) in 2003.

A time for being girls. The moment when life is fresh and exciting and you learn something new everyday. Hours spent in make-believe worlds. Days of skipping-ropes endlessly circling round and round during break times and afternoons. Lena Cronqvist's work tenderly captures this magical time.

The present painting shows a girl jumping over her skipping rope, wearing a red bow in her hair, matching red shorts, and a bright yellow sweater, against a multi-coloured gridded background. The grid is a prominent feature in Cronqvist’s paintings of girls from the mid-1990s. Few are those who can master colour and its endless possibilities like Cronqvist can. Once more the painting becomes a stark reminder that an image is only that – an image, and the physical world exists outside of it. Cronqvist’s work rarely leaves the viewer indifferent.

Since the 1970s Cronqvist has been one of Sweden’s most celebrated artists. With a unique artistic confidence, great intimacy and a tangible sensuality she has portrayed her experiences of growing up, being a mother and of family life. Her childhood is a recurring theme, explored in depth by Cronqvist in both paintings and sculptures.