The Blue Vest

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An excellently executed modernist oil on canvas, painted by Bo Hultén (b.1945), whose works have been presented in the Modern Museum of Art, and the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm. His work is also presented at the Gripsholm Gallery in Stockholm and the Municipal Museum in Malmö. 

This painting by Bo Hultén is a relatively early work. His style is reminiscent of the modernist tradition in which figures are deconstructed into basic shapes and surfaces. The geometric structure has parallels to Cubism and Post-Cubism, in which volumes and perspectives dissolve into flat fields of colour. The face is anonymous and unspecified, which enhances the abstract expression and directs the viewer’s focus to the shapes of the body and the colour composition.

The blue garment in the centre acts as a central colour point, while the dark and light contrasts create a balanced composition. The orange element in the lower left corner breaks off and adds dynamism to the painting. The background is minimalist and neutral, which makes the figure appear more clearly.

Hultén’s work can be placed within Scandinavian modernism, where an austere but poetic simplicity often occurs. His way of simplifying human figures into almost iconic forms is reminiscent of artists such as Fernand Léger or Swedish modernists such as Olle Bærtling (although Bærtling was more pronounced abstract).

The painting is presented in a wood frame which suits it perfectly. There are some marks and general age wear to painting, but it is in good condition overall. The frame has some scuffs, but is also in good condition.

Size: 64.5 x 54 cm (including frame)