Belief

Unexpectedly won over by lyrical abstract paintings at a 1945 exhibition by Svavar Guðnason in Listamannaskálinn on Kirkjustræti in Reykjavík, Guðmunda Andrésdóttir decided to become an artist. She embarked on studies in Sweden and Paris. In 1952 she joined the Septem group of artists, who first showed their work together in 1947. Guðmunda showed her abstract work for many years with the other artists in the Septem group. In the 1970s her geometrical abstract art evolved towards more organic forms.

Her older work is characterized by subtle tones of grey and blue within square or diamond-shaped forms created by drawing diagonal lines across the space; in this new period, however, her paintings abounded in round forms reminiscent of suns, dancing on horizontal strings. A series of works with buoyant forms and bright colors followed, in which Guðmunda pursued variations on the same theme. In Belief, circular forms dance and bounce on horizontal lines. Ripples almost seem to form on the cool color in the lower half of the painting, which counterbalances the perspective impressions and the division of the picture plane. This work of art is obviously deeply thought out, based on the qualities of colors and forms. Guðmunda may be said to have pursued her exploration unstintingly until the end, in paintings that are based on primary colors—red, yellow, and blue—in addition to circular forms and linear elements.

Guðmunda bequeathed all her art to the National Gallery of Iceland, the University of Iceland Art Collection, and the Reykjavík Art Museum, together with her other assets, which were to be used to found a fund to support promising young artists to study abroad. A fund in her name is administered by the National Gallery of Iceland; we present this work today thanks to the National Gallery of Iceland.  : )

P.S. These circular forms painted in intense hues remind us a bit of the artworks of a genius female artist, Hilma af Klint. See them here and tell us what do you think.  :-)