Sonja Larsson – New Paintings

In her large-scale abstract oil paintings, a tension is created between their seemingly perfect shapes and the trace of the hand. Standing in front of the artworks, the viewer is challenged both intellectually and physically.

As one of Sweden’s most important abstract painters, Sonja Larsson’s work process is characterized by a series of decisions based on intuition and feeling. The subtle expression is guided by a combination of predefined rules and an element of surprise. Larsson is working towards a pulse, where each layer of paint adds complexity and allows her to pursue an inner logic. Larsson challenges the viewer to spend time in front of her paintings, an experience similar to listening to a musical piece from beginning to end. The physical experience of colour and rhythm grows during the process of viewing, allowing the painting to occupy both time and space.

”Sonja Larsson’s oevre is liberating, a sophisticated exploration of visual rhythms. To stand before her paintings is to add one’s own layer, to fasten one’s thoughts on the grids and intricate shapes. We are dealing with artefacts – the lines are tracks left by an artist. The information we can decipher is the information of painting, and the language is Sonja Larsson’s. The viewer can translate it and be overcome with something that could be described as presence. Sonja Larsson presents ideas on artistic responsibility, in images where every line can be justified.”

Excerpt by Sara Walker, Assortments, Sonja Larsson // Sven Harrys (Konstmuseum), exhibition catalogue 2013.