Uppstilling 1973

Curator: Here we have Louisa Matthiasdottir's "Uppstilling" from 1973. The medium used here is oil paint on canvas, and you will find it reflects some key modernistic stylistic features. Editor: Immediately I'm struck by the muted palette—the way those pastel shades soften what could be a mundane kitchen scene. It feels homey, almost edible. Curator: "Uppstilling" in Icelandic translates directly to "Still Life", of course, and what is particularly interesting here is how Matthiasdottir elevates everyday objects, focusing on their forms and materiality rather than symbolic representation. Editor: Exactly. Like that hunk of…what is that, actually? Jellied meat? Stuck with a fork like some strange, architectural monument! It is definitely a departure from the perfect peach usually seen in still lives, huh? I am here for it. Curator: The social context is compelling here. Matthiasdottir, an Icelandic artist working in the US, frequently depicted the life around her. So, the seemingly straightforward representation becomes charged. One wonders about the influence of the cultural contexts in her work. Editor: Absolutely. It also brings up an interest about the artistic choice behind the inclusion of each object, as she carefully constructed the setup, focusing on a balance of texture and color: the roughness of the pot, versus the translucence of the jelly. Curator: Look closely and you see the loose brushstrokes and the layers of oil paint – these details reveal a tactile process, the very labour and thought put into it. The production here shows itself directly in the texture and the brush strokes of the oil paint Editor: In the end, isn't art just about looking closely and feeling a connection to something? This piece, with its honest portrayal, creates that sort of space, I believe. Curator: I'm in agreement.