Jan Valentin Saether

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PAINTINGS FROM THE '90s "...Sæther has altered his palette from the green/grey/blue pigments which tend to recede paintings into the background, a means of retreating or distancing the viewer, preventing emotional involvement in the subject, playing to the cerebral more than the visceral. From that past palette he has shifted toward red/grey/white/ivory, and the emotional response these warm tones convey to our senses brings the subject to the foreground, closer, in relationship to us. His concern for the quality and the source of light is far more dramatic and warm. His surfaces bear new evidence of hones brushstroke and generosity. Emphasis on the figurative now predominates. Although the expressive figures feel real and show evidence of passion, they are no longer constructs of composition; the figure is now the painting. Gone are the extraneous accompanying still lifes, recreated African masks, specific attention to furniture and boxes. Sæther has been there and may even in some point of time elect to return to the operatic narrative used by other painters of the figure. But for now, for this selection of paintings, he has brought a tender focus on the humanity of his figures..." (READ THE ENTIRE ESSAY) Extract from Grady Harp's essay on Jan Valentin Sæther's art in the exhibition catalogue Jan Valentin Sæther: Objekter. Oslo, 1997

Sverre Koren Bjertnæs		Self-Portrait with Apron		Magus		Exile: Suspended Transition

	Landscape (Vineyards)		Sophia		Humaniora: From a Hermetic Narrative
						More paintings from the '90s will be published on this page soon...
Nattvåke		Claudia		The Rock and the Star