|
 |
Jill Smith is a writer for NY Arts Magazine. Hans Johansson is a
Swedish artist whose exhibition, Contextual Mappings was on view in the
Broadway Gallery, New York in January.
Jill Smith
Hans Johansson, The depth, 2007. Oil on canvas, 81 x 100 centimeters. Courtesy of the artist.
Born in the northern part of Sweden near the Arctic Circle, the
Northern Light plays an important role in the work of Hans Johansson.
Combining both figurative and non-figurative elements with his love of
strong lines and vivid colors, he creates bold, poetic works.Inspired by his encounters with different people, in one body of work,
he paints large close-up portraits. Some of the people he paints are
real, some of them are fantasy. Expressing his impressions of the
people he meets, these works also reflect the varied expressions that
can be found in the human face.Another important theme to Johansson is the image of the tropical fish,
a symbol that emerged to him in a dream. To him, the fish represents
creativity and calm. Before this dream, he was working totally
abstractly, but afterwards, he began introducing more figurative
elements into the work. His current aims to find a synthesis between
abstract and figurative elements.Relying on his subconscious for much of his images, he undergoes
self-hypnosis to extract his vibrant imagery. “I incorporate my dreams
into my art as a way of self-expression,” he writes. “The results are
compositions that often are a mixture between dreams and reality.”
Color is also of paramount importance to the artist, whose palette is a
wash of soft blues, peaches, sea foam greens, and grays, accented with
brilliant vermilions and sunny yellows. He writes, “I love the magic
about working with colors. I always tend to experiment by mixing them
forever and ever, and I never seem to grow tired of playing with
[them]…”His works have a timeless, magical quality. Reminiscent of a dream
voyage to the calm beaches of another planet, his pictures are deeply
personal, evoking his own subconsciousness while also revealing
universal truths about the journey and celebration of life. The great
success of his exhibition at Broadway Gallery, was followed by an
exhibition of printmaking at the Galleri Strömbom in Uppsala Sweden
from January to February.
