Gunnar Larsson (b. 1963, Sweden)
[from exhibition “Målningar”], 2017

Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm, Sweden / Visited 2/12/2017

What excites me about this painting is the lack of the focal point. Yet, there is plenty of detail and dynamics. However, the viewer needs to find his own entry point, position and perspective. I end up placing myself on my back in a meadow at night, watching the night sky through the veil of blossoms… searching for constellations of stars, letting my gaze to drift away following the stems of the greenery and back, finding my own path and narrative.

I could have taken other paths, too – considering it as a flowery wallpaper inspired by William Morris or typographical qualities of the ampersand shape suggested by the yellow flowers. The mind keeps looking for meaning, and creates it even when not being readily served. This relates to my ongoing multi-dotted painting that also has a lot of elements, some suggestion of possible structure, yet nothing conclusive (much less so then Larsson’s painting, in fact) – but the eye chooses its ways and the mind extracts its meanings anyway.