Thursday 18 July 2013

Vilhelm Lundstrom

 

Nude, 1930


I saw this painting in Louisiana and loved it, so you can imagine my delight when I had the opportunity to see some more of Vilhelm Lundstrom's paintings at the Staatens Museum for Kunst.

A modernist painter, it was he who introduced French Cubism to Denmark. He spent an extended period in France in the 1920s where he was influenced by Braque, Picasso and Cezanne. He is remembered for his geometric still lifes with oranges, his cubistic scenes with nudes and his paintings of bottles, flasks and jugs. His style is characterised by clear, bright lines and few colours. In his later years, he adapted his style to looser modern art with contrasts in colours and form.





Two Female Nudes, 1927

Two half-length nudes, which can be perceived as the front and back of the same model, have been placed against each other so that they fill the entire picture plane. The composition is simple and monumental.  The shapes have been reduced to the barest minimum, rendered by means of a highly restricted palette of brownish-yellow colour hues against a blue background. The simplification of both shapes and colour scheme imbues the picture with a universal feel. The two nudes are a kind of ideal beings shorn of specific features, not linked to a particular time and place.




Two Sisters, 1923





Still Life with White Jar, Orange and Book, 1932-33





Still Life with Water Jug, Towel and Jars, 1929
 
 
 
 
 
Seated Female Nude, 1940.
 
 
 
 
 Composition I, 1918.
 
 
 


2 comments:

  1. I discovered Lundstrøm at the Staatens Museum for Kunst, too, and he immediately placed in my top five favourite painters, worldwide. Exquisite use of planes and lines, colour and light. Thank you SO much for posting so much of his work here in a size that allows good viewing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally agree, Els. Seeing his paintings for the first time during our trip to Copenhagen was a real revelation and I wondered why I had not come across his work before. I loved everything of his I saw.

      It's a great museums, isn't it? A great museum in a great city.

      Finally, thanks for your lovely comments.

      Delete