LÍ 3922

Haukur Dór Sturluson first appeared on the art scene at the landmark exhibition SÚM I at Ásmundarsalur in 1965. Subsequently, he focused on ceramic art and did not hold a solo exhibition of paintings until 1977. Many of his paintings are voluminous with a coarse texture, while his use of color is typically subdued. In the latter half of the 1970s, Sturluson frequently  used only black and white paint, adding gray tones to evoke expressive images of the human body or landscapes. In these works, the subject matter is the relationship of modern Icelanders with the land they inhabit; in Sturluson's view, the boundaries between body and landscape are often blurred.

This work belongs to a series of paintings where a specific theme, namely compressed organic forms reminiscent of human beings in distress, runs through all the pieces. Black contour lines bring out the white forms that the artist integrates into different contexts, allowing them to float in a defined space or emphasizing the two-dimensional properties of the surface. Gray planes in the background characterize all the works, while a sparing use of red draws the eye. Lively brushwork and a restrained palette dominated by black and white also bring to mind a rugged winter landscape, yet never losing sight of the figure.