The Color First : jan Sivertsen - painting

The focus of the selection of works for the exhibition is artistic method and immersion. A tour through the exhibition therefore presents a presentation of Jan Sivertsen's painterly themes and reinterpretations of these across the oeuvre. This gives you an insight into the engine room of the painter Jan Sivertsen. When he calls his exhibition "Color First", it is because he perceives the fact that the color itself - in all its appearances like fabric, color, darkness, etc. - is the starting point for the work of painting. 

The exhibition is therefore not definitely retrospective, although it presents works from the long period from 1978 up to today, but more an exhibition about painting and thinking about painting: Painting as a language without words.

Based on a selection of Jan Sivertsen's early works, combined with a series of brand new great paintings, the exhibition shows various aspects of the painter's work with painting. A work that follows in several ways and has followed the same red thread through the years. And an oeuvre that appears with its very distinctive expression.

In addition, the exhibition gives the audience a very good picture of the fact that there are still artists capable of unfolding the potential and narrative of painting, so you are spellbound. Characteristic of the expression includes discrete figurations, signs and symbols, along with the carefully considered and distinctive colouring.

Sivertsen's painting has traditionally often been stamped as abstract-expressive, and perhaps even "romantic".

But it holds something and more than that. Since 1979, he has worked with the relationship between painting as depiction and painting as an object - or otherwise formulated - with the relationship between the painting's use of figuraton and its own physical appearance of color and fabric in different ways.

Art editor of Politiken, Peter Michael Hornung, writes "Absorption is important - for Jan Sivertsen. And it is this absorption, this search for meaning, which sometimes makes it difficult to paint, but though always meaningful. Therefore, the painter has to consider the nature and importance of both the form and the color, the way they work best and unite. "
Read his book about Jan Sivertsen.

Jan Sivertsen (born 1951) is Danish visual artist and graphic artist. He is educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen 1977-1982, with professors Sven Dalsgaard, Albert Mertz and Robert Jacobsen. He has lived and worked in Paris since 1984, where he was studying there. In 2007-10, however, he was in Berlin for a study and work experience. Despite more than 30 years of residence in France, he is still Danish - and has exhibited at galleries, museums and other cultural institutions both in Denmark and in England and France. He has made several public decorations, including to the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Herning Centralsygehus, Beringshaven Holstebro Care Center, Midtjylland Airport, etc. In many cases, the decorations include stained glass, done in collaboration with glass master Per Steen Hebsgaard. For more information, please see www.jansivertsen.com

The exhibition is organized in collaboration with Sophienholm.

It can be experienced at the KunstCentret Silkeborg Bad during the period 13 January - 2 April 2018.

January 14th. pm. 13: Tour and artist talk with painter Jan Sivertsen.

Feb. 9th. pm. 16-¬18: Art critic at Dagbladet Poliken, Peter Michael Hornung, has written the new book about the painter Jan Sivertsen. At the lecture, he tells about Jan Sivertsen's art and about how you as a critique and art historian write an art book like this.

January 30th. and Feb. 27, both days at. 18: Evening opening and tour of "Color First: Jan Sivertsen - Painting".

February 3rd, February 17th, March 10th and March 24th, all days at. 13: Tour of "Color First: Jan Sivertsen - Painting".