Ronald Aleksander Lindgreen - Kratko razdoblje starenja

Ronald Aleksander Lindgreen proveo je prve dvije godine svoga djetinjstva u Hrvatskoj, a potom s roditeljima preselio u Nizozemsku, zemlju svoga djeda i oca. U Hrvatsku se vratio tek 2012. godine. Radovi, od uljanih aktova do akvarela pejsaža, koji su nastajali od povratka ukazuju na umjetnički razvoj koji je usko povezan s vlastitim doživljajem ove zemlje. Zadnjih se deset godina promijenio i razvio kao umjetnik.

Došavši u Hrvatsku iz jako uređene i ravne Nizozemske, otvorile su mu se oči s obzirom na prirodu i pejsaže. Njegov ga je djed Ronald Th. Lindgreen, koji je također bio slikar, nadahnuo da slika uljanim bojama prije dvadesetak godina.

Tek je 2017. godine počeo raditi akvarele s bojama koje je naslijedio od djeda, prerađujući jedan od njegovih slavnih radova „Zorgvliet“ (haški park na koji je iz ateljea imao pogled) jer je htio proučavati njegovu kompoziciju i upotrebu boja.

Ovo prvo iskustvo s akvarelom, ali i zagorski krajolik koji je gledao svaki dan kroz prozor svog novog doma u Hrvatskoj, nadahnulo ga je da polagano krene u novi smjer. Počeo se igrati s linijama i oblicima, stvarati nove kompozicije i eksperimentirati s bojama, što je uskoro postalo sastavni dio njegove kreativne svakodnevnice. Ono što je počelo kao vježba učenja djedovog umjetničkog procesa, dovelo je do novog smjera u njegovom vlastitom umjetničkom razvoju.

U slikarstvo je Ronald ušao slikajući uljane aktove. Žensko je tijelo, kao tema njegova rada, medij između boja i oblika koje prenosi iz svojih misli na platno. Tijelo je potpuni, složeni i mistični predmet koji ima neograničene mogućnosti vizualnog izražavanja.

Preradivši djedovu sliku, otkrio je da mu i pejsaži daju istu mogućnost. Obje su teme za njega igrališta gdje nema pravila, gdje se elementi mogu naglašavati, pretjerivati i slagati na različite načine, a ipak su u mogućnosti prikazati emocionalno iskustvo.

Svoje slike, bile one uljane ili akvareli, najčešće počinje uz minimalni broj linija, koje označavaju oblike i pojedinosti unutar kompozicije. Te linije obično ne obuhvaćaju oblike u cijelosti, određeni su dijelovi izostavljeni, što naizgled daje utisak nezavršenosti. Zatim nastavlja rad dodajući mu boje kako bi se istaknuo izraz linija.

Ronalda, prema vlastitim riječima, „ne privlači ono što jest, već ono što se može napraviti, koliko se može izrezati, rastegnuti i oblikovati te još uvijek zavarati mozak da misli kako bi to moglo imati smisla“. Njegovi radovi koji nastaju iz ovog kreativnog procesa sadržavaju sugestivni vizualni poticaj u kojem se vremena i svjetovi stapaju.



Impresioniran zagorskim krajobrazima slika pejzaže tehnikom akvarela, ali pri tome zaobilazi likovno izražavanje klasičnih slikara akvarelista, tražeći mogućnost izražavanja sebi svojstvenom tehnikom. Njegovo je slikarstvo avangardno, kojim osvaja pozornost gledatelja uvodeći ga u proces razmišljanja. Vješto se poigrava linijom kojom označava oblike i pojedinosti unutar kompozicije, odlazeći u svijet nadrealnoga. Crta i boja osnovno su autorovo likovno izražajno sredstvo. Stilizirane plohe ispunjava nanosom lazurnih toplo-hladnih kontrastnih boja.

Ronald Aleksander Lindgreen spent the first two years of his life in Croatia, before his family moved to the Netherlands, the country of his father and grandfather. The works he has created since he returned to Croatia in 2012, from oil paintings to watercolour landscapes, illustrate his artistic development during this time period, which is closely related to how he experiences his native country. In the last ten years, he has changed and evolved as an artist.

Coming to Croatia from the Netherlands – a tidy and flat country – opened his eyes to nature and landscapes. He was first inspired to make oil paintings over twenty years ago by his grandfather, Ronald Th. Lindgreen, also a painter. In 2017, he started using the watercolours he had inherited from him to study one of his most iconic works, “Zorgvliet” – a park he could see from his studio – because he wanted to learn more about his choices, composition and use of colour.

This first experience with watercolour, as well as Zagorje’s scenery, which he saw every day through the window, gradually inspired him to take his work in a new direction. Playing with lines and shapes, creating new compositions, and experimenting with colours quickly became part of his creative routine. What had started as an exercise to learn from his grandfather's artistic process resulted in a new direction in his development as an artist.

Ronald entered into the world of painting by making female nudes. From the very start, the female body as a subject in his work has been the medium between colours and shapes, which are translated from his thoughts onto the canvas. The body is a complete, complex and mystifying entity with endless possibilities for visual expression.

Thanks to the study of his grandfather’s work, he discovered that landscapes offer the same creative opportunities. Both themes are playgrounds where no rules apply, where elements can be accentuated, exaggerated and ordered in different ways, and yet have the power to display an emotional experience.

Both styles – oil and watercolour – often start with a minimal amount of lines. The lines indicate shapes and details inside the composition. Usually, they do not enclose the shapes entirely, with certain parts being left out, which gives a seemingly unfinished impression. The work is then continued with the adding of colour to emphasize the expression of the lines.

In Ronald's own words, he is "not attracted to what is, but to what can be done, how far you can cut, stretch and (re)shape, and still fool the brain into thinking that it could all make sense." The works he creates with this method hold a suggestive visual stimulus in which times and worlds melt.



Impressed by Zagorje’s scenery, Lindgreen paints landscapes using watercolours. However, he does not emulate the classical watercolourists’ artistic expression, looking instead for the possibility of expressing himself with his own technique. Through his avant-garde work, he wins the attention of the viewers by bringing them into his thought process. Skilfully playing with lines, with which he highlights shapes and details within the composition, he ventures into the world of surrealism. Lines and colours are the base of the author’s artistic means of expression. He fills stylised surfaces by applying translucent warm and cold contrasting colours.

Ronald Lindgreen rođen je 1975. godine u Celju (Slovenija). Dio djetinjstva proveo je u Zagrebu, a odrastao je u Hagu. Nizozemskog je i hrvatskoga podrijetla – otac je Nizozemac, a majka Hrvatica iz Đurđevca. Vizualnu umjetnost diplomirao je 2001. godine na Akademiji Willem de Kooning u Rotterdamu. Od tada djeluje kao samostalni umjetnik. Radi slike, kolaže, video radove i instalacije.

Od 2000. godine izlaže u Engleskoj, Belgiji i Nizozemskoj, te u Francuskoj i Hrvatskoj u kojoj trenutno živi.

Izložbe u Hrvatskoj
2018. Galerija Izvorne Umjetnosti Zlatar, Zlatar
2017. Regeneracija Zabok (slike, skupna izložba), Zabok
2017. Muzej Grada Đurđevca, Đurđevac
2017. Ericsson/Tesla, Zagreb
2017. Velika Galerija Grada Zaboka, Zabok
2016. Gradska Galerija Striegl, Sisak
2013. Boonika, Zagreb
2013. Boonika Izložbe BooEx, Hvar
2010. Meštart (slike, skupna izložba), Atelijer Meštrović, Zagreb
www.lindgreen.hr

Ronald Lindgreen was born in Celje (Slovenia) in 1975. He spent part of his childhood in Zagreb, but grew up in The Hague. He is of Dutch and Croatian origin – his father is Dutch, while his mother comes from Đurđevac. In 2001, he graduated in visual arts from the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. Since then, he has been working as an independent artist, creating paintings, collages, videos and installations. Since 2000, he has had exhibitions in England, Belgium, the Netherlands, as well as in France and Croatia, where he is currently living.
Exhibitions in Croatia
2018 Native Art Gallery Zlatar, Zlatar
2017 Regeneracija Zabok (paintings, group), Zabok
2017 Đurđevac City Gallery, Đurđevac
2017 Ericsson/Tesla, Zagreb
2017 Zabok City Grand Gallery, Zabok
2016 Municipal Gallery Striegl, Sisak
2013 Boonika, Zagreb
2013 Boonika BooEx Exhibition, Hvar
2010 Meštart (paintings, group), Atelijer Meštrović, Zagreb
www.lindgreen.hr

impresum | imprint

Virtualna izložba
| Virtual exhibition
Ronald Aleksander Lindgreen — Kratko razdoblje starenja
A Brief Period of Aging

nakladnik | publisher
Muzej Mimara

za izdavača | for the publisher
Lada Ratković Bukovčan

urednik | Editor
Ronald Aleksander Lindgreen

autori tekstova | preface
Elsa Lindgreen
Božena Slunjski

lektorice | Croatian language editors
Lovorka Kučinić
Neda Rudež

Prijevod na engleski jezik | translation
Elsa Lindgreen

pokroviteljstvo | under the patronage of
Republika Hrvatska, Ministarstvo kulture i medija
Grad Zagreb, Gradski ured za kulturu, međugradsku i međunarodnu suradnju i civilno društvo