 |
CULTURE |  |
In
the Magic Circle of the Art of Björn Wiinblad
(reflections from exhibitions)
It rarely happens that the
works of one contemporary artist are shown simultaneously in several places
in Poznañ in a variety of exhibitory contexts. Björn Wiinblad is certainly
a man of countless exceptions. However, there is nothing strange in this,
since the composite artistic personality of Wiinblad is enough to fill
more than one artist's life-story.
Born
in 1918 in Copenhagen, this illustrator, set designer, poster artist,
designer of porcelain, fabric and many practical objects, melomane and
connoisseur of music and belles lettres has still not lost his youthful
urge to search for new adventures across a wide range of art, in spite
of the successes and fame which he has already achieved,. With an admirable
detachment, not devoid of self-irony, he is able to return to his personal
failures. An oft-repeated anecdote tells of the reason why he gave up
on a literary career. During his studies at the Royal Academy of Art,
he sent to a newspaper a poem he had written, illustrated with a drawing.
The work was accepted, but the royalties came complete with the following
note: "I enclose 300 krone - 500 krone for the illustration, less
200 for the text". "This dealt a mortal blow to my hopes of
a literary career", the artist comments today.
With
his achievements in the field of fine art, fate has surely recompensed
him a hundred times for that earlier misfortune. And, although, for many,
Wiinblad's art is at least debatable, one cannot refute either his individuality
or his courage. The clear, decisive form, the bold colouration of the
flat splashes of paint, supported by calligraphic drawings, the dynamics,
the irresistible, joyful decorativeness are in sharp contrast to the majority
of ascetic Danish design with which we have become familiar. It is also
certain that it is the ability to select the appropriate media and to
subordinate them to his own conception that allows the artist to create
such diverse forms as the tapestry designs, steeped in colour and vibrating
with stratifying details (e.g. "Spring", 1979), and the posters
(e.g. "The Book of 1010 Nights", 1965), appearing next to the
clean, refined form of the "Asymmetry" service designed for
Rosenthal.
Strangely,
perhaps, it is precisely in the small, functional items created for the
Rosenthal firm since 1957 that we see not only a discipline in the unquestionable
subjugation of the design to functionality which is rare among artists,
but, above all, the entire wealth of the Wiinblad imagination: a freedom
of movement through the world of fairy tales, strange creatures and objects
(e.g. the decorative motifs of the Christmas porcelain); a fascination
with oriental opulence in the use of gold as a colour (the "Magic
Flute" service for the Shah of Iran, on the occasion of the 2500th
anniversary of the existence of Persia, and the themes from "Sindbad"
and "Aladdin's Lamp"); and a love of music, reflected not only
in references to well-known works, but also in the rhythm of certain compositional
elements ("Don Giovanni", "Donna Elvira").
It
is for this reason that I highly recommend a visit to the exhibition of
porcelain designed by Bjorn Wiinblad for the Rosenthal works, displayed
with taste in a setting which harmonises with the climate of the exhibition,
in Anna Kareñska's Gallery in the Palace at Podstolice, near Poznañ (to
30th June, 2000).
In the wider context of Danish pattern-design, one can find the artist's
work in another exhibition, also well worth seeing, organised by the Museum
Narodowe (National Museum) on Góra Przemys³a (Przemys³ Hill).
Unfortunately, the extremely interesting presentation of Wiinblad posters
in the Zamek Cultural Centre lasted only until 30th May.
This exhibition, together with the accompanying encounters with the artist,
were arranged in collaboration with the Danish Institute of Culture.
Joanna Dziubkowa