|
Lene Vaering Jensen
Relationship to tradition?
My connection is figurative painting, although I am not
a classical painter. When I started, I did not look at
the history of painting, but at the figurative approach
and its possibilities, which directly appealed to me.
I like the directness of figurative painting. It is something
you can see and recognise immediately. You don’t need
to ask or wonder what it is about, at least on the surface
of it. My inspiration comes from these glossy miniature
bookmarks, which I collected as a child. I know the rules
of that game inside-out and I am familiar with the language
of that special world. What I liked was that they left
out what wasn’t needed, and I have always disliked painting
backgrounds, just to fill the frame. Therefore, after
some experiments, I decided to focus on content, painting
only what matters to me. I call my paintings ‘cut-outs’.
Hopefully people will see the playful and ironic language
in which they are made.
It is not so hard to see how these paper figures have
similarities with some painters of the baroque and rococo.
I am not directly inspired by any particular artist, but
these periods interest me a lot. One example is the The
Swing (1767), by Jean-Honoré Fragonard which,
in my opinion, is done in a very bombastic, yet ironic
and funny way. What I enjoy, is how everything can be
fitted into these worlds. People look unnatural and they
may be out of proportion but, nevertheless, they fit in,
and we accept it. This goes for both the rococo and the
tradition of miniatures.
The possibilities of painting?
The rather obvious difficulty with figurative painting
is that it takes such a long time to execute. In a wider
perspective it might not be that terribly long, but considered
in a contemporary sense, it is very time-consuming. Personally,
I need about four to eight weeks of full-time work to
finish one painting. Thus, without some grant or other
support I wouldn’t have a chance to do it.
I need to have a very exact sketch ready when I begin.
Otherwise it would not work, because before I start to
saw the wood, I must be sure of each millimetre. The necessary
exactness of my paintings is perhaps something that not
so many viewers realise.
I really like the directness of painting in general. A
personal touch is always visible in it, a kind of closeness
and physicality which I don’t experience in other media
such as video.
What do you read?
I really love mysteries, you know, the classical who-dunnit
books. One of my favourites is Agatha Christie. I never
can figure out who is the murderer. Right now I am reading
the first of the Harry Potter series, just in order to
check out what all the fuss is about. I have to say I
don’t read that much art history or theory. It makes me
depressed. Because there are so many good artworks, it
makes me wonder whether I have anything to contribute.
Relationship to the chosen subject?
It is nostalgic and naïve, but that’s exactly why
I like the pictures. It is precisely because they are
so colourful, unpretentious and not at all realistic.
On the contrary, they are so playful and joyful, just
like cartoons can be. In these miniature images everything
works. The pictures have solutions, which I find very
charming. If, for example, the situation in Row, Row,
Row My Boat (1999) would be real, the boat would sink
in two seconds. But because it is in a fantasy world,
the rules of gravity do not apply. Instead, within the
picture and its composition, everything is possible.
Autobiographical elements?
The paintings are connected to my own situation as an
artist, and the difficulties I face within this profession.
For the last five years I have been working with the myth
of being an artist. At the same time, I question my own
decisions, and also try to reflect how people and society
at large relate to art and artists.
In Artist of the Year (2002) a woman is sitting
on a throne, with a crown on her head, resembling the
winner of the Miss Universe competition. I really have
a problem with these prizes awarded to artists. How are
these artists nominated? And who is in a position to select
the winner? But then again, I admit that I want these
prizes, I need them in order to be financially able to
work as an artist. I both desire and dislike them. So
this is one typical situation which I question with my
works.
Narrative elements in your work?
I try to tell small stories, tiny examples and particularities.
My paintings don’t offer any over-arching big narrative.
They seek to confront certain basic ideas. Not all of
them tell stories, they can just as well ask questions.
But, for example, in Row, Row, Row My Boat there
are many smaller stories combined and entwined together.
There is the dramatic story of people going out to sea,
to find their means of livelihood, a myth connected to
the Nordic countries. There is also the story of an individual,
an artist trying to find her place, the myth of the artist
as someone seeking new ground, ideas and inspiration.
It is bits and pieces like this that are present in my
works.
Mika Hannula
Galleri Wonneberger: www.germangalleries.com/wonneberger
|
Lene Væring Jensen
1 in a 1000
1999
acryl on Meranti wood
120 x 116
photo: Roar Øhlander
Courtesy of Galerie Enja Wonneberger
Lene Væring Jensen
Palette of Choice
2001
acryl on Meranti wood
172 x 116
photo: Roar Øhlander
Lene Væring Jensen
Artist of the Year
2002
Acryl on Meranti wood
145 x 100
|
