Louisa Matthíasdóttir (February 20, 1917 – February 26, 2000) was an
Icelandic-
American painter.
Louisa was born in
Reykjavík. From 1925 to 1937 she grew up in the famous
Höfði house since her family resided there. She showed artistic ability at an early age, and studied first in
Denmark and then under
Marcel Gromaire in
Paris. Her early paintings, dating from the late 1930s, established her as a leading figure in the Icelandic
avant-garde community (many of whom met together in a house in Reykjavík called
Unuhús). In these paintings, subjects are painted with a broad brush, emphasizing geometric form. According to Louisa, "it was around this time that I started to do my paintings in one unbroken session". These paintings already show much of the character of Louisa's mature work, but are more subdued in color.
Her move to
New York City in 1942 was followed by a period of study under
Hans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann (March 21, 1880 – February 17, 1966) was a German-born American painter, renowned as both an artist and teacher. His career spanned two generations and two continents, and is considered to have both preceded and influenced Abstrac ...
, along with other painters including
Robert De Niro, Sr.
Robert Henry De Niro (May 3, 1922 – May 3, 1993), better known as Robert De Niro Sr.,According to the Social Security Death Index. Searchable at http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/ssdi was an American abstract expressionist painter a ...
(father of the actor) and
Jane Freilicher. In 1944 she married painter
Leland Bell
Leland Bell (September 17, 1922 – September 18, 1991) was an American painter.
Leland Bell was a self-taught painter whose passion for the discipline of painting has inspired and influenced many. He was also a fierce advocate for artists tha ...
, and until Bell's death in 1991 they enjoyed a partnership of mutual support. Their daughter Temma was born in 1945.
During the mid-1940s, Louisa and Bell met
Jean Hélion, whose figurative style may have influenced Louisa's use of outline in some of her paintings of this period, such as ''Leland and Temma'' (1948). Louisa 's first solo exhibition took place at Jane Street Gallery in New York in 1948. Louisa, Bell, and Temma visited Paris in 1951–52 where they frequently met with Hélion, who introduced them to
Alberto Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and printmaker. Beginning in 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris but regularly visited his hometown Borgonovo to see his family and ...
and
Balthus
Balthasar Klossowski de Rola (February 29, 1908 – February 18, 2001), known as Balthus, was a Polish-French modern artist. He is known for his erotically charged images of pubescent girls, but also for the refined, dreamlike quality of his image ...
.
While Louisa's work of the 1950s saw her introducing a painterly style of small, gestural brushstrokes and tonal gradations, during the 1960s she gradually abandoned tonality as her style became characterized by brisk execution and broad areas of forthright color.
The paintings of Louisa's final three decades include Icelandic landscapes, a series of self-portraits, and tabletop still-life arrangements. The landscapes often include charmingly stylized depictions of Icelandic horses and sheep. She was to remain an Icelandic citizen all her life, the physical characteristics of her native land informing her bold treatment of form and clarity of light. The poet
John Ashbery
John Lawrence Ashbery (July 28, 1927 – September 3, 2017) was an American poet and art critic.
Ashbery is considered the most influential American poet of his time. Oxford University literary critic John Bayley wrote that Ashbery "sounded, in ...
described the result as the "flavor, both mellow and astringent, which no other painter gives us."
In 1996, Louisa was awarded the
American-Scandinavian Foundation's Cultural Award, and in 1998 became a member of the
American Academy of Arts and Letters. She died in
Delhi, New York in 2000. Her work is represented in many public collections, including the
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in
Washington, D.C., the
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
, and the
Reykjavík Art Museum.
Reykjavík Art Museum website
Exhibition
* 2011: ''From Unuhús to West 8th Street'' at Kjarvalstaðir, Reykjavík Art Museum
References
* Perl, Jed, ed. (1999). ''Louisa Matthiasdottir''. New York: Hudson Hills Press.
External links
louisamatthiasdottir.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthiasdottir, Louisa
1917 births
2000 deaths
Louisa Matthiasdottir Louisa may refer to:
Places
;Australia
* Louisa Island (Tasmania)
;Canada
* Louisa or Lac-Louisa, a community in Wentworth, Quebec
;Malaysia
* Louisa Reef, Sabah
;United States
* Louisa, Kentucky
* Louisa, Missouri
* Louisa, Virginia
* Louisa ...
Modern painters
Louisa Matthiasdottir Louisa may refer to:
Places
;Australia
* Louisa Island (Tasmania)
;Canada
* Louisa or Lac-Louisa, a community in Wentworth, Quebec
;Malaysia
* Louisa Reef, Sabah
;United States
* Louisa, Kentucky
* Louisa, Missouri
* Louisa, Virginia
* Louisa ...
Art Students League of New York alumni
Kansas City Art Institute alumni
20th-century American painters
20th-century Icelandic women artists
Icelandic women painters