573. LARS JONSSON (FÖDD 1952). "Desire".

Oil on canvas, 110 x 180 cm. Signed and dated Lars Jonsson 99.

EXHIBITIONS:
Prince Eugens Waldemarsudde, “Birds and Lights,” 19 Oct. 2002 - 19 Jan. 2003.
Kulturcentrum, Ronneby, "Birds and light", 1 Feb. - March 23, 2003.
Landesmuseum für Natur und Mensch, Oldenburg, Germany, "Wo Erde und Himmel sich Berühre", 26 June 2008 - 15 Jan. 2010.

LITERATURE:
Lars Jonsson, “Birds and Light” 2002. Reproduced on the cover and fully spread out in colour on pages 204-205

“In his bird pictures, Lars Jonsson has transformed his visual ability into a euphoric virtuosity that seems to lack the delay between instillation and the movement of the hand. “

Hans Henrik Brummer (former head curator at the Nationalmuseum Prins Eugens Waldermarsudde) in his text in connection with the exhibition Birds and Light in 2002.

Lars Jonsson has a unique position, both in Sweden and internationally, as a portrayer of wild bird life. His artistry can be described as a combination of artistic skill and scientific precision.

Jonsson was born in 1952 and grew up in the Stockholm suburb of Farsta. His proximity to nature led him to take an early interest in animals and nature. Early on, drawing became a major interest and already in his 20s he was given his first major assignment as an autodidact to draw up a European field manual.

Like other famous Swedish watercolorists such as Anders Zorn and Lars Lerin, Jonsson has drawn technical skill to its utmost. He depicts light, reflections, the movement of water and the plumage of birds in varying colors with impressive precision.

His interest and passion for birds has taken him to much of the world but it is on southern Gotland that he has his base. From the beaches near the residence, he works with tube binoculars, brushes and watercolor paints. He paints on the spot like many outdoor painters before him. Some of these watercolour sketches he then continues to work on in oil in his studio. His powers of observation, presence and striving to capture the elusive have propelled his artistry forward and one can see in later works a greater artistic freedom.

The work “Desire” shows the act of seduction of a deity. With puckered chest, he shows off in all his splendor in the hope of catching the interest of a female. Just as the title of the exhibition in which this work was the cover image indicates, “Desire” is as much a study in the lives and movements of birds as in the play of light in the landscape. With phenomenal skill Jonsson captures the shifts of light and the hazy morning light. The end result is a painting that exudes absolute presence.