Saturday June 14th at 2 p.m., Aldís Arnardóttir, Curator and Director of Hafnarborg, will lead guests on a walkthrough of the exhibition Of Substance and Essence, which looks back on the long and diverse career of the artist Eiríkur Smith. The exhibition is presented to mark what would have been the centenary of the artist, had he lived to see it.
The career of Eiríkur Smith (1925-2016) was both long and diverse. He approached painting as a form of expression and left behind a body of work that reveals a remarkable command of subjects as different as geometric abstraction, expressive abstract painting and realist imagery. The human figure is often placed in the foreground while the land and the works of humankind create a powerful setting. Over time, his approach changed considerably, in step with the spirit of the times, but also because the artist deliberately sought new directions.
Eiríkur’s artistic journey can be likened to a pendulum that swings between two poles. He drew inspiration both from the subjective and the objective and in the later stages of his career there are periods in which he moves between the two. In these works, one senses the artist’s reconciliation with the idea that life is best lived in balance, in a state of harmony that is both of substance and essence. The exhibition features select works from across Eiríkur’s career, alongside early drawings from his student years in Copenhagen and Paris.
Free entry – everyone welcome.