Review from my summer exhibition in Vadstena, SWEDEN
Review in Östgötakorrespondenten, juli 2007
A daily newspaper. Translation from Swedish by Stefan Lindblad
Paintings. The Gallery: Mitt vardagsrum vid Vättern in Vadstena, SWEDEN. 28 july – 19 august 2007
Painting published with this post is ”Traffic Light”, 2005, acrylics on canvas, by Stefan Lindblad.
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With quick brush strokes
”Snapshot Stories” is the name of this exhibition given by Stefan Lindblad, of which the motif derive from experiences around the world, foremost the USA and London and the Greek archipelago. And its a much tougher artist we meet this time, with a renewed pictorial language, a more direct approach and – as the title suggest – a stronger snapshots characteristic.
”I am a camera” Christopher Isherwood claimed during his time and Stefan Lindblad says he have the same capacity to register, wherever he directs his eyes. Quick brush strokes are used to manifest the impressions, and it make his paintings, his work very special. The ambition is namely stronger than just to immortalize a brief experience.
With ”Macy´s in Flagstaff” from Arizona there is something so banal as a visit to the local café that inspired to the motif. Whereas ”Phoenix X” surprisingly enough show a view over the airport and its traffic symbols, the X. With ”Phoenix X” he lets the fictitious part take part of the concrete in a nearest course of art-historical events, and I think of the paintings by Torsten Andersson in the 60´s.
But of course Stefan Lindblad have other idols from that decade, first and foremost he is inspired of American artist´s like Joe Tilson, of which paintings ”Oh” associates with the ”Route 66” suite. And not to forget Robert Indiana and his ”The American dream”, in which one part not only entails the numbers 66 but also consistent star symbols. Which brings the thoughts to sheriff, of which uniform emblematic is reused by Stefan Lindblad.
The fact that the paint is dripping on the artist´s canvas doesn’t need to mean a flirt with Jackson Pollock…
Critic written by Ewe Olsson,
The Östgötakorrespondenten website, in Swedish>>
Stefan Lindblad
Artist & illustrator
