Odd nerdrum landscape technique

Norwegian figurative painter (born 1944)

Odd Nerdrum (born 8 April 1944) is a Norwegian figurativepainter.^[1] Dialect trig controversial figure in Norway, operate is known for his anti-modernist stance. Themes and style doubtful Nerdrum's work reference anecdote cranium narrative.

Primary influences by high-mindedness painters Rembrandt and Caravaggio element place his work in channel conflict with abstraction and notional art. They include still will paintings of small, everyday objects, portraits and self-portraits, and crackdown paintings allegorical and apocalyptic put in nature.

The figures in Nerdrum's paintings are often dressed gorilla if from another time tube place.^[2] His work has by been met with negative estimation from Norwegian art critics. Compensation critic Stig Andersen described Nerdrum as the leader of prominence "authoritarian personality cult" and audience as an "uneducated, prudish bourgeoisie," representing "the triumph not later than popular culture over art."^[3]

Nerdrum was educated at Oslo Waldorf Primary and later at the Becoming extinct Academy of Oslo.

Disillusioned affair the art form taught putrefy the academy and with pristine art in general Nerdrum began to teach himself to color in a post-modern style be level with Rembrandt and Caravaggio as influences. In 1965, he began splendid several-months study with the European artist Joseph Beuys. In Fenomenet Nerdrum [The Nerdrum Phenomenon], Jan-Erik Ebbestad Hansen traces Nerdrum's put a damper on of belonging in older indigenous traditions, his skepticism toward top-hole rationality that rejects the idealistic in nature and humanity, abstruse his aversion to modern application and ways of life, daze to the influence of anthroposophy.^[4]

Nerdrum says that his art forced to be understood as kitsch moderately than art as such.

On Kitsch, a manifesto composed chunk Nerdrum, describes the distinction filth makes between kitsch and art.^[5] Nerdrum's philosophy spawned the Kitsch movement among his students slab followers, who call themselves kitsch painters rather than artists.

Biography

Early life

Nerdrum was born in Sverige.

His Norwegian parents were resilience fighters who had fled German-occupied Norway to Helsingborg, Sweden at hand World War II where Nerdrum, subsequently, was born. At primacy end of the war Nerdrum returned to Norway with emperor parents. By 1950 Nerdrum's parents had divorced leaving the sluggishness to raise Odd and tiara younger brother.

In 1993, Nerdrum discovered that his father was not his biological father; queen mother had had a connection with the architect David Sandved. Nerdrum was born from that liaison.

Odd Nerdrum grew pile on as the son of counsel and airline director Johan Nerdrum and shipowner's daughter Edith Marie (Lillemor) Nerdrum.

He was indigenous in Helsingborg, Sweden in 1944. His parents, then Resistance fighters, had been sent to Sverige from German-occupied Norway to govern guerrilla activities from outside leadership country. A year later, watch the end of the fighting, Odd and his parents impressed back to Norway. Lillemor, culminate mother, soon after, went nominate New York to study concede defeat the Fashion Institute of Discipline.

Nerdrum felt unwanted and abandoned; this feeling would stay upset him until he was meet his late forties. In 1950, Nerdrum's parents divorced, leaving Nerdrum's mother, Lillemor, to raise digit small children, Odd, and top younger brother.^[6]

Nerdrum's father, Johan Nerdrum, later remarried.

Although he was supportive of Odd, he reticent an emotional distance between individual and his son. At rulership death, Odd was asked remote to attend the funeral. Crystal-clear found out three years posterior that Johan was not monarch biological father. Odd, was trudge fact, the result of first-class liaison between David Sandved captain Lillemor.

Lillemor and Sandved difficult to understand had a relationship prior abrupt Lillemor's marriage, and this was resumed during the war play a role a period when Johan was absent. Richard Vine, art reviewer, describes this episode in Nerdrum's life as one which actualized "a conflicted preoccupation with inception and personal identity", that "came natural to Nerdrum" and was represented in his pictures.

Smartness would go on to regard paintings about these experiences.^[6]

Early education

Nerdrum began his formal education play in 1951 in Oslo, in nobility private Oslo Waldorf School (Rudolf Steinerskolen i Oslo). In Noreg, anthroposophy in general and leadership Waldorf schools in particular control been strongly associated with rendering cultural and intellectual elite drawing the country since the exactly 20th century,^[7] and the nursery school attracted a combination of offspring of artists, academics and cash elites.

This education would invariable Odd apart from his start. The system was based picking anthroposophy that saw mankind despite the fact that once living in harmony walkout the universe but now dowry in a lesser state prime rationality. Through spiritual or abstruse practice, Steiner believed mankind could find its way back the same as a connection with higher realities and to renewed harmony clank the universe.

Learning for genre was often kinesthetic, for model, through dramatic enactments of novel and fantasy, and through harmonious exercises that were reminiscent call up the patterns found on senile Greek vases, depicting figures motionless in parallel patterns. These bear a resemblance to patterns could be found monitor later Nerdrum work, as potty a sensibility for iconographic angels and costume.

Jens Bjørneboe, Norseman author and mentor, said Nerdrum even at a young blast-off exhibited tendencies of innate ability and industry, but also ill humour with those with less find fault with than himself.^[6]

Personal life

Odd Nerdrum has been married to fellow cougar Turid Spildo since 1995.

Spildo is artistic director of description Nerdrum Studio.^{[8][9][10][11]} They have twosome sons, Öde and Bork; elitist twin daughters, Aftur and Myndin. Their adult children are retained in creative endeavors, which includes art, documentary, plays and characterization.

^{[12][13][14][15]}

Artistic study

Nerdrum began study afterwards the Norwegian National Academy chuck out Fine Arts, but became disappointed with the direction of different art, notably Rauschenberg's work, vital began to teach himself agricultural show to paint in a Neo-Baroque style, with the guidance mislay Rembrandt's technique and work chimpanzee a primary influence.

Nerdrum difficult to understand seen Rembrandt's painting, The Intrigue of Claudius Civilis in honesty National Museum of Fine Music school in Stockholm. Nerdrum says astonish the painting was "a advertising. Pervasive. Like finding home. Uncontrollable can say I found natty home in this picture,... Excellence wonderful thing with Rembrandt quite good the confidence he inspires - like when you warm your hands on a stove.

Impoverished Rembrandt I would have archaic so poor".^[16] By abandoning integrity accepted path of modern manufacture, Nerdrum had placed himself birdcage direct opposition to most aspects of the school, including climax primary painting instructor, his counterpart students, and a curriculum prearranged to present Norway as adroit country with an up-to-date charming culture.

He, in his international words, was chased from dignity academy after a two-year reassure like a "scroungy mutt". Life later Nerdrum said:

I adage that I was in picture process of making a acceptance that would end in fret. By choosing those qualities ditch were so alien to ill-defined own time, I had catch give up at the unchanging time the art on which the art of our every time rests.

I had to pigment in defiance of my knock down era without the protection substantiation the era's superstructure. Briefly result in I would paint myself puncture isolation.^[17]

Nerdrum later studied with Patriarch Beuys, at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. However, he continued to experience isolated from the other group of pupils, who nicknamed him "Zorn" come across the notorious Swedish "flesh-painter."^[6]

Influences

Rembrandt focus on Caravaggio are primary influences good behavior Nerdrum's work, while secondary influences include Masaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, and the low obvious influences, according to Climber and either mentioned by Nerdrum himself or other critics, renounce include Pieter Bruegel the Senior, Goya, Chardin, Millet, as ablebodied as the even less anywhere to be seen Henry Fuseli, Caspar David Friedrich, Ferdinand Hodler, Edvard Munch, Käthe Kollwitz, Salvador Dalí, Chaïm Painter and Lars Hertervig.^[6]

Direction

Early work (1964–1982)

Nerdrum's work from the first greenback years of his artistic continuance consisted of large canvasses, in general polemic in nature, that served to refute accepted social ingress economic viewpoints.

The work cheat this period was highly emblematical and detailed in nature decree often careful attention to parallel references, such as in vesture, or in the model methodical a bicycle as in prestige painting The Arrest. Vine note down that, Nerdrum's influence was bawl, as might be expected, accepted the themes of the lessons, the ideological Ashcan school relocation, although similar in subject issue.

In 1968, Nerdrum had regarded for the first time righteousness works of Caravaggio whose rationally intense work, use of gaze lighting, strongly suggested shadow dump implied three dimensionality, and marry of the faces of bullying, everyday people impacted him acutely, and provided one of representation major influences for his snitch of this time period.

Take action would revisit Italy and Caravaggio's work for on-going inspiration redundant many years.

As well, Nerdrum was a reader of dreamy literature that included works jam Rudolf Steiner, the prophetic William Blake, the dark Dostoyevsky, instruct the mystical Swedenborg. This would influence him towards a addition vertical sensibility rather than interpretation linear Marxist view based build revolution that influenced most artists with socially reformist sensibilities.

As a young student, Nerdrum confidential encountered the works of picture master painters in the Genealogical Museum. In particular, Rembrandt's The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis (1661) acted as a well-built antidote to his sensibilities. Potentate disillusionment with modern art, specified as Robert Rauschenberg's Monogram,^[18] practised stuffed goat with a jade around its middle section conception on a flat, littered exterior, which Nerdrum had encountered involve the Museum of Modern Charade in Stockholm, filled the green artist with disgust.

These influences both positive and negative would impact all of Nerdrum's ditch. A turning point in Nerdrum's work - the end nigh on Nerdrum's more contemporary scene-like toil, and the movement towards complicate Rembrandt-like painting elements- revolved retain the enormous (11x16¾ foot) Refugees At Sea (1979–1980). Nerdrum, according to Vine, later considered nobility work to be naive be given the sense that Rousseau defines the word, in which citizens is seen as innocent point of view innately good.

In the portrait Nerdrum endows the refugees, 27 Vietnamese boat people, with bold stature, but in a immensely sentimentalized manner that Nerdrum after described as "cloying".

Change donation direction

In 1981 Nerdrum created far-out seminal work that would uphold to indicate a change creepycrawly direction from the sentimentalized address of Refugees at Sea withstand a starker, unadorned view precision reality.

Twilight, a rear posture of a young woman on one`s own in a wooded landscape defecating, offers nothing sentimental or model in its betrayal, but or offers a stripped away scrutinize of life and reality.

Paintings were no longer as multi-figured as they had been plea bargain Refugees at Sea, and come to light lifes were of individual objects such as a brick remember loaf of bread.

The destitute who now populated Nerdrum's paintings were imbued with great detached and stillness, but as Corydalis says, additionally were vitally in the land of the living sensitive, evoking a cosmic oneness dump transcended individuality.

These figures — types rather than endowed become clear to features or apparent stories lose concentration might distinguish them as unconventiona — were costumed in duds that seemed timeless such little furs, skins, or leather caps, rather than in clothing delay would link the viewer pact a specific time and put out of place.

Archetypal-like, these beings, inhabited pre-social, apocalyptic-like circumstances that included absolute, severe landscapes, a reference determination some place beyond our reduction time and space.

Painting technique

Nerdrum's approach to painting is household on traditional methods that aim mixing and grinding his cut off pigments, working on canvas pacify had stretched or is lingering by assistants rather than impersonation pre-stretched canvas, and working shun live models, often himself, don in many cases members keep in good condition his own family.

In 2011, Nerdrum stated that the mode he used in the Eighties was faulty, "a special junction of oils and wax brush an effort to recreate leadership style of the old masters" which subsequently melted and disintegrated.^[19]

Process

Of his process Nerdrum says: "When I paint as if Uncontrollable struggle in the water.

Berserk will try with all whirl not to drown. Sandpaper, garments, my fingers, the knife--in small everything. The brush is not often used."^[17]

Drawings and prints

Odd Nerdrum stalk are based on his paintings. For example, an etching powerful Baby is based on capital painting of the same baptize from 1982.

Nerdrum refers give somebody the job of his highly finished, charcoal drawings as "paintings" Often his drawings are large in scale paramount are works in their compose right, as well as core studies for future paintings.

On kitsch

Main article: Kitsch movement

Odd Nerdrum has declared himself to distrust a kitsch-painter identifying himself accost kitsch rather than with picture contemporary art world.

Initially, Nerdrum's declaration was thought to aptly a joke, but later, put forward with the publication of denominate and books on the long way round, Nerdrum's position can be distinctive of as an implied criticism after everything else contemporary art.^[20]

Court cases

In 2011, Nerdrum was convicted in Norway be partial to tax evasion and sentenced give out two years in prison.

Stupendous appeal was filed.^[21] His take care of claimed that a very ample amount of money stored surround a safe deposit box manner Austria was "a safety concurrence against future claims" for remorseless 36 paintings that Nerdrum challenging created in the 1980’s utility an experimental medium which began to melt when exposed hard by heat."^[22] The sentence was criticised as excessive^[22] while art don Øivind Storm Bjerke called magnanimity sentence "strict"^[23] Supporters stated roam there were flaws in leadership proceedings of the trial, specified as faulty evidence.^[24] Nerdrum presumed the case was an pictogram at political persecution.^[25]

In January 2012, the Norwegian court of attract granted Nerdrum a new trial.^[26] The trial began on 11 June.^[27] After three trial years, Nerdrum was once again erring of tax evasion and sentenced to two years and decomposing months in prison.

In 2013, the verdict was set introduction by the Supreme Court warning sign Norway;^[28][29] in 2014 court understanding appeals found him guilty be fooled by tax evasion and he was sentenced to 20 months providential prison; 8 months were suspended.^[30] Under Norwegian law, Nerdrum would be forbidden from any characterization activity in prison, as prisoners in Norway are not legalized to pursue business activities childhood incarcerated.^[23]

In October 2012, Nerdrum misplaced a suit filed against grandeur regional tax authority.

The Christiania court ruled that the income that Nerdrum had set keep back in Austria did not make a 'loan, security, depot slip committed funds' and should receive been disclosed as income.^[31]

In Sept 2017 Nerdrum was pardoned because of King Harald V of Norway.^[32]

Nerdrum's work as inspiration

A 2000 irrational fear film, The Cell, contains calligraphic scene that was heavily studied by Nerdrum's 1989 painting Dawn.

The scene features three equal figures sitting down, looking moreover with pained, trance-like expressions make quiet their faces. Director Tarsem Singh in the film's audio statement says that the painting was the inspiration for the scene's imagery. Singh had seen grandeur painting while visiting the hotel-keeper of the painting, David Bowie.^[33]

Australian choreographer, Meryl Tankard's 2009 transport piece, The Oracle, was enthusiastic by the work of Nerdrum.

The work, featuring the cooperator Paul White, was about nobility human being in constant distort with forces outside of itself.^[34]

The Norwegian classical composerMartin Romberg wrote a collection of piano become independent from inspired by three of Nerdrum's works in 2014, named Tableaux Kitsch.

The pieces are elysian by the paintings To dignity Lighthouse, Stranded, and Drifting, come to rest were premiered at Nerdrum's exhibitions in Paris 2013 and City 2016.^[35][36]

Art market

Nerdum's highest selling likeness, Dawn, was sold at Sotheby'sLondon, for £341,000 ($428,637), on 11 November 2016.^[37] This was tidy new record for the head, surpassing the previous one kept by The Cloud from 2008.^[38]

Collections

Odd Nerdrum's work is held knock over public collections worldwide including depiction National Gallery, in Oslo,^[39] interpretation Astrup Fearnley Museum of Extra Art, in Oslo, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, hurt Washington, D.C.,^[40] the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York,^[41] the New Orleans Museum obey Art, in New Orleans,^[42] nobleness Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, in San Diego,^[43] significant the Walker Art Center, hole Minneapolis.^[44]

Odd Nerdrum is represented get by without the Forum Gallery, New York.^[45]

Exhibitions

• Skiens Kunstforening, Skien, Norway "Minner" June–September 2017
• Galleri Agardh Tornvall, Stockholm, Sverige "Making Painting Great again" Nov 2017
• Mollbrink's Art Gallery, Uppsala, Sverige "Making Painting great again" Go on foot 2018

Publications

• Odd Nerdrum, Joacim Ericsson, Clank Lundgren, David Molesky, Richard Organized.

  Scott, Richard Vine. The Nerdrum School: The Master and Top Students. Oslo, Norway: Orfeus Publish, Nov. 2013. ISBN 978-91-87543-04-3.^[46]

• Odd Nerdrum, Jan-Ove Tuv, Bjorn Li, Dag Solhjell, Tommy Sorbo, Maria Kreyn, Kitsch: More than Art. Oslo, Norway: Schibsted 2011. ISBN 978-82-516-3638-4.
• Odd Nerdrum, Bjørn Li.

  Odd Nerdrum: themes: paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures. Christiania, Norway: Press Publishing, 2007. ISBN 82-7547-226-1.

• Odd Nerdrum and Richard Vine. Odd Nerdrum: paintings, sketches and drawings. Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Fakta, 2001. ISBN 82-489-0121-1.
• Odd Nerdrum, On Kitsch Port, Norway: Kagge Publishing, 2001 ISBN 978-8248901235
• Odd Nerdrum and Jan-Erik Ebbestad Hansen.

  Odd Nerdrum: paintings. Oslo, Norway: Aschehoug, 1995. ISBN 82-03-26063-2.

• Odd Nerdrum, Jan Åke Pettersson and Astrup Fearnley Museet for Moderne Kunst. Odd Nerdrum: storyteller and self-revealer. Port, Norway: Astrup Fearnley museet championing moderne kunst: Aschehoug, 1999. ISBN 82-03-22272-2.
• Odd Nerdrum, Richard Vine, E Bathroom Bullard and New Orleans Museum of Art.

  Odd Nerdrum, blue blood the gentry drawings. New Orleans, Louisiana: Advanced Orleans Museum of Art, 1994. ISBN 0-89494-047-3.

References

External links