Observing the Artwork of Ingemar Härdelin

Ingemar Härdelin believes fine art speaks for itself. That’s a notable reason he refuses to title his artwork, so that viewers can simply have their own perspective on what they’re looking at. Living in Linköping (a city in the south side of Sweden), 88-year-old Ingemar remains motivated to paint. Ever since he was 10, he was playing the cello, then at adulthood, he became a performing cellist who says that, “Music is movement and movement is an expression of life.” For 28 years, he was a teacher, and for 13 years, he was a music secretary. The multi-talented Ingemar is also an author and poet, where he has written one novel, two collections of poems, some short stories in different anthologies, two essays in musicology, and music articles for two years in the Uppsala’s newspaper. It all started back in 1963 where he took an interest in painting during a summer on Fårö, then (after his second job as a teacher), in 1992, he painted nonstop. Now, he has over forty exhibitions (to his resume) in Sweden, besides the one in Los Christianos, and Milan. His latest exhibition is called, “A Different Reality” because he wants the viewers to have an ineffable experience.

Despite Ingemar’s age, he still has an undying passion for art, which is something every artist can learn from. His drive to paint is like cheating death while never having painter’s block. When he paints, every techniques exists for a reason to give the viewers emotions like joy, sadness, love, etc. There are infinite opportunities to learn more about what can fit into being expressed as art. The vibrant colors he uses to catch your eyes are like imaginative, visual imagery. Ingemar is a professional who could focus specifically on realism, which he showcases online with a variety of details. What I admire about his work is that the amount of thought and skill placed in his work is priceless and is readily available for onlookers.

When you look at Ingemar’s art and it’s a close-up image, it’s up to your own perspective on what’s the meaning. When I look at his art, I imagine a metaphor for life and how we should not take nature for granted. Some of the things we can learn from looking at Ingemar’s art is that the trees that we are exposed to on the daily basis should be cherished, the waters we drink out of should not be tampered with, (which makes us want to recycle), and the animals are just as much a part of the Earth as human beings. I could take a magnifying glass and observe his work, finding how he can makes what’s difficult to do, appear simple.

Not many people of Härdelin’s caliber can make you feel like you know the world he created, then have a different perspective and still want to be a part of it. It’s the way he creates art that stands out from the crowd. While he may paint artwork that you think is traditional, really observe his artwork, then you’ll understand why his style is so unique. Often, the process of his quality abstract expressionism artwork includes a palette knife, a handy sponge, and a variety of techniques (like his secret formula), to create a masterpiece. Hardly does he ever use a paintbrush for his work, which is something many beginning artists may have trouble wrapping their head around. Sure, anybody can create art and everybody can create art. It’s like saying anybody can create art and everybody can create poetry, but after looking at Ingemar’s artwork, (and if you really study it), you’ll have something to learn from. What he does is make objects pop out, appearing 3-dimensional and blend in ideas to give the viewer their own perspective.

Let’s take a look at some of Ingemar’s artwork:

“Untitled”, Sweden Ingemar Härdelin. ©. 2021. All Rights Reserved.

“Untitled” Sweden Ingemar Härdelin. ©. 2021. All Rights Reserved.

The etchings from this painting appears like rock formations found in a lost cave. When I stare at this particular work of art, I find myself thinking about maturity. I think about growth and how life can be taken away at any moment. Maybe you’d have a different interpretation, but the painting, to me, represents a cave with hieroglyphs. Colors have different meanings and the roots used in the painting makes it appear like a prehistoric cave. It’s as if before people used words, symbols, and/ or sounds, they used colors to communicate. It’s a fascinating sight.

Imagine waking up and seeing the sky appear like this. It’s possible for rainbows to be in the sky just as much as it is to have a blue, red, yellow, or purple sky. The yellow can be a symbol of the scintillating sun throughout the darkness. How the artwork makes me feel is welcomed like I’m at home and found peace. It’s a painting I’d enjoy waking up, giving me energy to continue my day. Ingemar somehow gets away with breaking the rules of art by not making the lines symmetrical at times, by making blurry sections, and replacing usual symbols with his own clever ideas. If you love art and are afraid to get your hands dirty, then look no further. This painting is just for you.

“Untitled” Contemporary Artist from Sweden. Ingemar Härdelin. ©. 2020. All Rights Reserved.

This painting is eye-catching with the gold fine lines formed over the light and dark colors in the background. It’s a decoration that reminds me of a distorted spiderweb while also appearing like falling tree branches or golden debris midair. The fact that Ingemar doesn’t use paint pouring technique and didn’t use a paintbrush for this acrylic painting is remarkable. If you stare carefully at the bottom, tell me if you can find the word “Lilly.” It’s like you’re constantly searching for symbols as to a reason why the artist painted what he did. The uncanny image of possible blood in the painting can symbolize humans killing off the sea creatures. It makes me want to be a vegetarian and if I’m a vegetarian, then I don’t want to harm plant. The ocean blue section of the painting actually looks like water from a distance and if you look at most artists paintings, you may notice a big canvas of acrylic blob.

“Untitled” Original works. Ingemar Härdelin. ©. Dec. 23, 2020. All Rights Reserved.

From this remarkable piece, you’ll notice Ingemar’s aesthetic painting of a blurry mountain. The yellowish orange sky in the background blends in with the bright sun. One can only imagine that the orange markings on the bluish mountain are where rocks are. The orange can be the shade of the mountain, but whatever the orange on the mountain is, the artist makes it work. What’s noticeable is the exquisite choice of red he chose for the bottom, which leaves viewers focused on the upper part of the canvas. There’s so many questions I could ask him like, “Did you use a white or black canvas to start off this painting,” “Was this work don on a stretch canvas,” and “How did other people interpret your favorite painting?” While we can learn from Ingemar’s works, there’s so much more to know about him.

The sky makes me think about a heroic movie scene like right when the good guy is victorious and the credits are about to roll. It makes me want to jump in the picture and see what else is going on, but to live in such a world where the colors are up to the artists interpretation may be confusing and quite unsettling. I like the how rich this painting looks, even though it was most likely effortless with his skill level. When I take a look at the red at the bottom, I imagine grass and rocks. Ingemar doesn’t have to use normal colors to express a landscape, but instead, he makes the landscape become the painting. He creates a dreamlike world of escapism through silent poetry.

“Untitled” Original works, Ingemar Härdelin. ©. Dec. 23, 2020. All Rights Reserved.

This is a painting of an ocean and while you may not notice any sea creatures at first glance, the imagery remains spectacular. I can only wonder if the tiny hues of crimson in at least two spots represent fish, but if I look closely, one speck of redness near the top can be a visible object above the ocean. The real illusion appears when you stare at the painting, noticing that the waves blend in with the sundry of fish. It’s a beautifully done painting, setting a soothing mood for any day you’re having.

In a variety of Härdelin’s paintings of water, you may notice the water changes colors at times. In deep water, nearly all of the sun’s rays are absorbed. This process is due to the lack of the sediment and low amount of organic matter. To always be able to capture the beauty in nature is a complicated thing to do. All of us, at some point tried drawing or painting nature and some of us continued on our artistic journeys. A large percent of the ocean is undiscovered and what we can learn from that is to never quit learning. Keep swimming to find more in life that can help you.

Another thing about Ingemar’s work is that it’s contemporary artwork for everyone. Nearly everyone likes nature and if most of us know how to swim, we probably like the water, especially if it’s clean water. It’s a refreshing piece to look at, teasing you to go outside and surf like you’ve never surfed before. The mysterious thing about the painting is what’s behind the boulder. Something is telling me that more fish may be behind the boulder. Other than more fish being preoccupied behind the boulder, I think there’s a slight possibility of a treasure chest.

“Untitled”, Contemporary Artist from Sweden, Ingemar Härdelin. ©. Apr. 2020. All Rights Reserved.

The excellent thing about this painting is that although it’s displayed the way it is, the owner can turn it to any side on the front, and it’ll be perfect. This piece captures a plant slowly blossoming on the landscape. If this painting doesn’t make you come into conscious, then you have to keep staring. It’s not a fully developed plant, but the multicolored background adds to how intriguing the nature is. Ingemar’s selective choice of making the yellow in the middle more vivid was intentional and brilliant. The dark shade of yellow at the bottom, switched to bright, causing the piece to stand out. At the top, two sections of navy blue block are practically greeting the ocean blue.

If I think long and hard, staring till my eyes going out of focus (like a professional camera) imagining things, the growing plant appears to remind me of pus. It can’t be pus because the I can clearly see the roots buried within the acrylic paint and the plant blossoming out. The fact that the artist chose to focus primarily on nature with a substantial amount of detail is immensely engaging. My first thought when I look at this work of art, is that it appears like part of a Hollywood fantasy movie set.

If you want to be updated on Ingemar’s latest projects, here are some of the ways you can stay updated and/ or contact him:

Instagram

Blogspot

Work Cites:

Hardelin, Ingemar. Saatchi Art. No title Painting by Ingemar Hardelin. 2021.

Hardelin, Ingemar. Saatchi Art. Untitled. Ingemar Härdelin. ©. 2021

Hardelin, Ingemar. Exposion Art Blog. Ingemar Härdelin — Abstract Paintings. 28, Apr. 2020.

Hardelin, Ingemar. “Ingemar Härdelin: New Abstract Paintings.” http://milenaolesinaka.mypage.ru/?page=2. 23, Dec. 2020 at 17:46.

Hardelin, Ingemar. Eposition Art Blog. Ingemar Härdelin - Abstract Paintings. Apr, 2020.