Rolf Hanson

The staircase Rolf Hanson uses as the starting point for his series Runtom trappa (Around staircase) is located in Montigny-sur-Loing in France. It is a set of stone steps depicted in one of Carl Fredrik Hill's most famous paintings from 1876. Rolf Hanson returned to the steps in Montigny in the 1990s when he created his first version of 'Runtom trappa'. In the series' thirteen paintings, perspective, depth, horizon, and color scheme shift. The first three paintings are painted from different angles, and we can identify the brick railing and the rugged stone blocks that also appear in Hill's painting. 'Runtom trappa IV-VI' are more focused, both in terms of the steps now in the foreground and in terms of color composition. In painting number VIII, the golden ochra glows, seemingly flowing down the steps. At the top, on the highest step, the image opens up toward a distant enchanting landscape in the background.

The painting currently up for auction is numbered XII and is one of the last three in the series. Now, the surface is back in focus, and we can only vaguely discern the staircase somewhere behind the dancing fields of colour. Hanson moves not only around the staircase but also deeper into the painting before zooming out again and blocking the picture space.
Rolf Hanson belongs to the generation of Swedish artists, born in the early 1950s, who entered art schools during the 1970s. They became part of a counter-movement, in a very politicized decade where art was judged by its moral content. Their bold and individualistic style of painting permeated the 1980s, which also saw the emergence of a new interest in art collecting driven by the financial markets.

Hanson's artistry has its roots in the national romantic landscape tradition, late romanticism, and symbolism, while his technique and expression are strongly influenced by the groundbreaking powerful painting of the 1950s and 1960s. The spotlight in the art world had shifted from Paris to the US and American action painting influenced a new generation of artists. Hanson's work is characterized by a glowing abstract expressionism that, combined with the large format of the paintings, almost overwhelms the viewer.

Ever since his first major solo exhibition at Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1985, Hanson's painting has generated interest. In 1988, he was selected to represent Sweden at the Venice Biennale, and in 1995, his next museum exhibition took place at Rooseum in Malmö, where Lars Nittve was the director and curator. This was followed in 1998 by an exhibition at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf. In 2006, yet another museum exhibition followed, this time at Dunkers Kulturhus in Helsingborg. Today, Rolf Hanson is one of the most significant artists in the Swedish art scene of his generation, and in 2021, Rolf Hanson Retroactive opened at Artipelag outside Stockholm. The current painting, Runtom trappa XII, has been exhibited both at Dunkers Kulturhus and at the major exhibition at Artipelag.

Photo: Carl Fredrik Hill, Trappgata i Montigny-sur-Loing (Stairway Street in Montigny-sur-Loing), 1876, Nationalmuseum collection, Stockholm, ref. NM 1862.