Jan Widströmer (born 31 December 1944) is a Swedish artist.

Early life and education

Widströmer's father was a primary school teacher and a founder of a school for adults of which he was the headmaster; his mother was a piano teacher. Widströmer continued his university studies in English language and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

and basics of the

North Germanic languages The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages—a sub-family of the Indo-European languages—along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages. The language group is also r ...

, focusing on the history of culture, art and literature. By the end of the 1970s, Widströmer moved to

Falkenberg Falkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 27,813 inhabitants in 2019 (out of a municipal total of about 45,000). It is located at the mouth of river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish ...

in the county of

Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Skåne, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Br ...

with his wife.

Artworks

In 1980, Widströmer's first solo exhibition was presented at the local gallery. It was a success which caused much interest and curiosity; especially as his work was quite different from the other local artists in those days. Since then he has exhibited his art through the years on different locations in Sweden as well as in other countries. Between 1984 and 1993, he was also successful as an art critic, and composed literary and cultural articles for the

Hallandsposten ''Hallandsposten'' is a Swedish local morning newspaper printed in Halmstad, Sweden. It is the major newspaper of Halmstad, Hylte and Laholm municipalities History and profile ''Hallandsposten'' was established in 1850. The first issue appea ...

– the largest circulated newspaper in the county of

by then. By the millennium, Widströmer's art turned ''more musical'' as he found a more elaborate style for subtle expressions of music and spirituality. One might also say that his art turned more spiritual.

The movement of the west wind in the grass and the movement of the waves, first carefully studied in a series of pencil drawings, finally gave the basic linear rhythm that is now a main characteristic of my recent paintings. My earlier works often have a sharper edged geometry (when not turning entirely to realism and intricate symbolism.) My art is a voyage always finding new shores. My art is spiritual. My art is hymns of music in color. My art is poetry without words.

In 2009, Widströmer also returned to the style of his early 1980s in a series of paintings; to what he calls his "emblematism", back then mainly drawings in ink. Some of those drawings illustrated his book of poetry, published in 1983, called " Boken till Dig" ("A Book for You"). Now colors, figures as well as background forms make his symbolism into an intriguing drama.

Poetry

In 2010, Widströmer started publishing his poems online, thus enabling a much broader audience to take part of his poetry.

Fred Andersson's Biography

In 2019, Fred Andersson, adjunct professor at

Åbo Akademi University Åbo Akademi University ( , ) is the only exclusively Swedish language multi-faculty university in Finland (or anywhere outside Sweden). It is located mainly in Turku (Åbo is the Swedish name of the city) but has also activities in Vaasa. Å ...

, published an extensive and learned surveil and analysis of Widströmer's art from the 1970s till today's latest paintings with its lyrical and geometrical interpretations of inner and outer life and music. Included is an essay on Widströmer's poetry from the 1980s till today by Niclas Schiöler, adjunct professor at

Lund University Lund University () is a Public university, public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially foun ...

. Publisher: Palmkron (Lund) Summary in English.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Widstromer, Jan Swedish abstract painters People from Falkenberg 1944 births Living people 20th-century Swedish painters Swedish male painters 21st-century Swedish painters Swedish male poets 20th-century Swedish poets Swedish-language poets 20th-century Swedish male artists 21st-century Swedish male artists Artists from Halland County