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THE ONES WHO
HAVE HAD the opportunity to follow John Rolseths development as a painter
throughout the 1980`s, will be hit by the unusual consequence he has followed.
Confronted with the call of the changing trends, such a stubbornness must
be founded in the fact that he is not attentive, or he has the artistic
foundation that gives a confident conviction. The subject matter one works
with has its own legitimate justification, no matter what happens.
The reason
for John Rolseths steadfastness we find, in his background, in the art-environment
of Trondheim. If this sounds threateningly provincial, one shall take
into consideration that these surroundings have given nourishment to form
a line of significant artists from the younger generation.
ROLSETH studied at the Art Academy in Trondheim in the early 1970`s under
Ove Stokstad and John Anton Risan. The weigth of the importance on the
picture`s formal approach was grounded in the student, this has created
the starting point, so that he later has kept the conviction, that a picture
offers enough interesting possibilities so that he slowly and systematically
has built a distinctive formal language. Out from those conditions laid
down by a traditional painterly approach to creating.
One should not apprehend and translate this, making ROLSETH into a provincialist,
or a sort of loner that has found himself left on the side of the current
debate on art.
After the years at the Art Academy in Trondheim he went to England and
studied for three years in Kent. And like so many other artists his own
generation he has been around and cleaned the continent for impulses.
The changes in the artistic formal language has however taken a starting
point in the will to stick to already conquered terrain.
Such a belief in what one is doing must be looked upon as the first premise
for the creation of a sterling personality.
ROLSETHS non-figurative works have been put in connection with his interest
for Scandinavian symbolic use of crafts and calligraphy.
There is a strong relation between the decor from what we call handicraft
and ROLSETHS preoccupation with the decorative elements as a motif for
the painter.
This affinity between handicrafts and art has worked as a mutual inspiration
between handicrafts and art from the 1970`s both internationally and in
Norway. The tendency found favourable conditions for growth in Trondheim,
where one finds several artists with a strong predilection for the shapening
of the pictorial surface.
But it must be emphasised that ROLSETH never aimed to drive his works
of art towards a decorative art.
ROLSETHS early independent work is built with the use of
horizontal stripes that drives themselves against a restless background.
Over the stripes there is sometimes laid down drawn elements of figuration.
The pictorial expression plays on counter action between the static and
the dynamic.
There`s neither constructivism nor minimalism that form the background
for the ideas to these pictures, but rather a lyrical play with established
drawn forms and texture.
The absence of a theoretical superstructure and dogmatics give the artist
freedom to drive this, from the foundation`s strong and geometrical formal
language into an expressionalistic look in later years. The break we trace
in pictures with the stripe patterns gradually perforates by strong colours
that expel the old patterns of horizontal dominance.
The colour has in ROLSETHS recent work been allowed to come into view
in a nearly uncensured form.
A bright strong contrast contributes to create an intense excitement,
that is not only formal, but highly influences our mind.
Behind this abounding use of colours lies a clear and certain vivacity
to colour itself as an expression of vitality and joy.
ROLSETH does not miss the grip on the underlying patterns that creates
a firm composition.
Now there is larger more well-defined forms with an organic impression
that bears evidence of growth. They are often organised as "pairs"
from a symmetrical approach to the painterly surface with a distinct right
and left side, over and under a "horizon".
This way a dialogue between different parts of the painting surface arise.
Titles like "Relation" and "Two hearts beating" underlines
a dialogue situation.
In a painting at Trondheim Art Museum with the title "Secret of the
night" ROLSETH plays upon the contrast between two different way
of expressing himself, one using a expressive romantic language where
he enters vague colours done with powerful strokes and another with a
controlled action using geometrical means and shapes with disciplined
strokes.
The compelling battle between the disciplined and the uncontrolled is
the central issue in ROLSETHS art and point towards a pictorial expression
that contains not only a world of patterns, but a world where these patterns
have their own significant planes.
The content may be founded in the fact that the artist refers to a concrete
experience, when he call a picture "When the bells strikes"
and in the painting bring the bells shape forward, or as it happens, it
might be an experience with a psychological content.
One might wonder if it is an important reason for the severe literally
painting of the 1980`s found such modest ground in Trondheim, was in fact
because there they were busy painting non-figurative and intensified paintings.
Øyvind
Storm Bjerke
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