Review by Victoria Cross, pictures courtesy of Kjarvalsstadir Museum.

Imagine being born on a secluded island, which at the time of your birth counts no more than 120 people. Imagine growing up surrounded by endless water and bottomless sky in a remote fishing village. There, each journey to the ocean can easily turn into the last one, and life mainly consists of seeing off the fishermen and bidding farewell to those lost at sea. Imagine at the age of nine, due to your good singing voice, being made “Singer for the Dead.” Each time tragedy strikes, according to Faroese tradition, you place your hand on a dead person’s chest and sing, accompanying the dead on their last journey. Death is solidly woven into the pattern of everyday life.

The Kjarvalsstadir branch of the Reykjavík Art Museum is holding a retrospective exhibition of Sámal Joensen Mikines (1906-1979), the most important artist of the Faroe Islands. He was born on the isolated island of Mykines, the westernmost island of the archipelago, and became the first professional artist of his land and the first one to gain recognition abroad – a pioneer of the Faroese art scene.
 
The exhibition is divided into three main areas – a central hall is devoted to the themes of life and death, and halls to the right and left focus on specific genres, landscapes and portraits respectively.

Upon entering the main hall of the exhibition, you will immediately be drawn to two large canvases; both titled “Pilot Whale Killing.” They dominate the first hall much as whale hunting dominated life in Mykines. The dark figures in the boats, thrashing whales, blood-colored water and the orange glow of the sky create a threatening, battle-like atmosphere.

Pilot Whale Killing, 1944

As you turn slightly to the right you will see yet another painting with the same title and almost identical composition. This one, however, conveys a very different feeling. The bright yellow colors of the whale hunters’ clothes, the hue of the sky and the gleaming black T-shape of a whale’s tail give this painting a tone of joyful ritual, a celebration of life if you will.

Pilot Whale Killing, 1957

Going left through the central hall will bring you to the heart of the exhibition and the recurring theme of the artist’s work – death. You will see the most somber by palette and mood paintings. There is no movement in the darkened rooms; black silhouettes in the background dissolve into darkness; the stillness makes grief almost tangible. On the same wall, contrasting with the theme of death, “Faroese Dance” depicts a joyous celebration at the end of the whale hunting season. 

At the Death Bed, 1940

Faroese Dance, 1944

Faced with the circle of life and death you have to find a way of balancing them. For the artist, nature becomes the source of harmony. As you turn to the opposite wall, you will see several paintings projecting scenes of calm serenity, all of them with a similar motif – people and the sea.
 
“Ships Leaving Harbour,” with a woman looking at a far-away ship, is especially striking. The woman’s figure in a softly flowing dress is placed between the sky and the sea, symbolically uniting them. The ultramarine and brilliant green colors; the simplified, geometric outline of a cliff; the orange dot of the three-master sailing away just below the horizon – create a wonderfully tranquil scene.

Ships Leaving Harbour, 1937-1938

Passing into the next hall brings you to one of the artist’s favorite genres, the landscape. All the landscapes are inspired by his beloved Mykines. Mikines was so devoted to his island that he added its name to his surname and became known as Sámal Joensen Mikines. Even after settling in Copenhagen he returned to his island every summer and continued to paint it in different seasons and with different techniques. The vivid colors of Mykines are captured best in “Northern Wind” and “View from Mykines Islet.”

View from Mykines Islet, 1959

The landscapes include some interesting samples of an experimentation stage of the artist’s career. In “A House on Mykines Island” you will notice the clear influence of Modernism. Shortly after World War II, the Faroese art that was dominated by Mikines for more than 20 years experienced an explosion of new talented artists, who either returned to the islands after completing their studies in Denmark – like Ruth Smith or Janus Kamban – or chose the Faroes as a place to settle down, like Jack Kampmann. They all brought in new ideas, but Mikines was challenged most by Kampmann, with his interest in analytical Modernism. Mikines felt compelled to experiment with new techniques and modern structures in his paintings. In the words of the curator of the exhibition, Adalsteinn Ingólfsson, this period brought Mikines “to the verge of abstraction.”

A House on Mykines Island, 1950

The opposite hall of the exhibition contains a series of portraits. The careful observer will notice that in the bulk of his work, Mikines used the human form as a prop to convey an idea or emotion – the figures always simplified, the faces lacking distinct features. This is not the case with his portraits, which are quite detailed. His portraits have been highly acclaimed by critics; but I found his other work much more interesting.
 
Kjarvalsstadir Museum also holds a small exhibition of Nína Saemundsson (1892-1965), which brings you to a very different world of smooth, clean lines. Saemundsson was a pioneer too, the first professional Icelandic female sculptor. She spent most of her life abroad, but chose to return to Iceland at the age of 63. Though the artist’s sculpture “Maternal Love” has been a part of the Reykjavík landscape since 1930, Saemundsson is not very well known in Iceland. Unfortunately, the sculpture at Laekjargata in the city center is not only hard to spot, but also has the most unflattering backdrop of deconstructed buildings. However, you can enjoy a copy of the same sculpture at the exhibit. One of my favorite pieces here is “Bedouin Lady Praying,” which exudes spiritual peace and harmony. This small exhibition does not present a great variety of the artist’s work, but is a good start.

Mother Love, c. 1925; Photo: copyright Brooks Walker

Bedouin Lady Praying, c. 1924; Photo: copyright Brooks Walker

In 1926, Saemundsson won a competition for a piece for the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. It is called “Spirit of Achievement” and captures the essence of an artist who wasn’t afraid to follow her calling at a time when not many women dared to do so.

Spirit of Achievement, 1926; Photo: copyright Dianne L. Durante, www.ForgottenDelights.com

Both exhibitions are on display until April 6.
 
www.artmuseum.is
Tel: (+354) 517-1290
Flókagata, 105 Reykjavík
Open daily 10 am to 5 pm
Free admission
 
VC – toricross@hotmail.com

Victoria Cross is originally from Moscow, but has spent the past 11 years traveling the world with her husband and two sons. She is a philologist by education but due to the constant moving has worked in a variety of fields. Most recently she spent three years in Beijing, where she created the popular web network, “Beijing Cafe.” Now she is in Iceland falling head over heels for the local art scene.