Lena Cronqvist
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Untitled.
Signed L.C and dated -99, numbered 3/5. Patinated bronze. Height 16 cm. A bronze plate is included, not original.
Provenance
Lars Bohman Gallery, Stockholm
Art collector Torsten Vieth, Denmark
Private collection, Sweden
Exhibitions
Lars Bohman Gallery, Stockholm
(Originally acquired at this exhibition)
More information
På 1990-talet började Lena Cronqvist att på allvar utforska skulpturen som uttrycksform och under det senaste decenniet har hon alltmer framstått som en av samtidens mest intressanta skulptörer. De tidiga skulpturerna, skapade bland annat under vistelser i New York med maken Göran Tunström, var små till formatet.
I inledningsordet till Lena Cronqvists utställningskatalog i Lokstallet i Strömstad år 2000 beskrev Göran Tunström de första ”Flickorna” så här;
”Jag minns dem i motljus, i vår första trånga bostad i New York, de små vaxklumparna. Hur de – som om hon såg med fingrarna – förvandlades till varelser med utseende, karaktär, små fulvackra figurer i begynnelsen av livet, med hela registret av möjliga handlingar i sina gener. Och de log. De ler, de räcker ut tungan, de sätter lillgammalt händerna i höfterna och beter sig överhuvudtaget inte salongsfähigt. De fnissar åt sig själva och oss. Och säkert äger de Namn, fast de för tillfället gömt undan dem, eftersom Namn skulle låsa dem ute från det utopiska land där varje handling – också de grymmaste – är tillåtna, varje grimas en utmaning, både mot världen och det JAG som de (vi) skall dresseras att bära, alldeles snart, när den abrupt tagit slut, Flickans tid. Barnets”.
De första flick-skulpturerna var verkligen små, gåtfulla och utstrålade starka uttryck. Senare, på 2000-talet har flickorna blivit större, nästan i naturlig storlek, de är öppnare och verkar också ha upptäckt nya dimensioner i tillvaron. Auktionens flicka står rakryggad, med vidöppna ögon och öppen mun. Hon säger - eller ropar - något med kraftfull röst. Hennes ansikte är uttrycksfullt och bestämt.
I Moderna Museets samling i Stockholm finns skulpturen "Flicka i balja med pappadocka”.
Lena Cronqvist skulpturer återfinns även i åtskilliga offentliga samlingar, som ”Hand i hand” i Rackstadmuseets park i Arvika, ”Flicka i balja” i Norre Katts park i Halmstad och ”Flicka som räcker ut tungan" utanför Stockholms stads konstkansli. Skulpturen ”Flicka i balja” finns även till beskådan vid Vasaparken i Stockholm, i anslutning till Sven-Harrys museum.
Artist
Lena Cronqvist is born and raised in Karlstad. Her interest for the arts came early in her life, and she spent the first year of her studies in England, near Bristol’s Art School. Upon her arrival back in Sweden, Cronqvist began a short-lived education at Konstfack, leaving to study painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. When examining Lena Cronqvist's painting, it delves into "painting" in its more traditional sense. She is indeed a painter in the grand modern tradition, frequently turning to Edvard Munch and Francis Bacon’s art as inspirational sources. Yet she also had numerous art historical references and a deep love for the craft. Cronqvist excelled as a colourist, finding harmony in the most unusual colour combinations – few have managed to paint warmth and cold successfully at the same time. Her subject matter is often perceived as challenging and overly private by many. She often models herself for her art, posing in mundane situations imbued with a sharp psychological character. Her “Modonna-pictures” from the 1970s are a good example of this. She turns our gaze away from the conventional, notably in her portrayal and depiction of girls, which is fascinating. Cronqvist depicts these girls as ugly, simple, and altogether uncomfortable – a great contrast to how woman were normally portrayed in art. In more recent years, Lena Cronqvist has studied the effect of aging, using herself as a study. Moreover, Cronqvist is a very successful sculptor, and several of her works in bronze have been sold great sums in the auction world. She is also gifted in graphic productions, of which “Strindbergsmappen” is the most well-known. Among her most renowned works is "The Betrothal," a paraphrase of Jan van Eyck's symbol-laden painting "The Arnolfini Portrait." In Cronqvist's reinterpretation, artist and husband Göran Tunström are the main characters, with equally weighty symbolism but carrying entirely different meanings. Where van Eyck's painting features a loyal dog, Cronqvist replaces it with a cat—a symbol of independence.
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