Self-portrait (1955), Ingálvur av Reyni
Oil on canvas, 140 x 104 cm. Private collection.
A gentleman in a dignified representation. Seen slightly from below, the broad-shouldered figure with the strong features fills the whole of the canvas. The stern expression exudes determination and strength but strictly speaking the emphasis is not on his personality.
Above all, the painting is an essay in clear form made up of colours involving both the surface and the spatial element. Thus the shape is created by the arrangement of the red and green areas.
Ingálvur learnt to use these contrasting colours through French Expressionism in its Danish version. However, this is tightened up in the spirit of Cubism and indicates the artist’s progression towards abstract painting.
Ingálvur av Reyni
(1920-2005)