Sigurður Einarsson

The paintings by Sigurður Einarsson depict surreal visions of Icelandic landscapes. These paintings are remarkable for their unique and personal insight, as the landscape forms faces of animals and birds. A mountain range stands out against a thin ribbon of sky, streams meander down hillsides and call forth facets and forms in which rocky slopes protrude, while hollows, meadows and moors recede into the background. The colour palette influences the vast landscape and highlights the nuances of visages colliding in natural transmutation, both course and delicate, referencing legends and fairytales from time immemorial, stories whispered to children at bedtime by mothers and grandmothers.

Sigurður Einarsson (b.1918, d. 2007) was inspired by Icelandic nature and the fantasy and folklore that inhabits it, turning them into fantastic figurative landscapes. He started painting late in his life after retiring from working as a dairy-man. When abstract painting was gaining popularity in Iceland, he became interested in art and started to follow and participate in the local art scene.