Stefán V. Jónsson (1908-1994) — popularly known as Stórval — is an eccentric icon of the Icelandic art canon. His works have long been revered by devoted fans and curious onlookers alike.
He achieved an almost mythical status in his lifetime, and stories and rumours of his trips around the city and country permeate the i8 gallery’s retrospective of his paintings. The exhibition statement is written by artist Unnar Örn, and it remembers him roaming Reykjavík by bicycle carrying paintings on his back, parking up from time to time to sell them from a bench. It paints a portrait of a man that was bold and playful — exactly like his work.
A creative wellspring
First shown at the legendary Gallery SÚM in the mid-1960s, Stórval’s most well-known works are depictions of Herðubreið — the “Queen of Icelandic Mountains” — that features in ten of the works on show. Situated in the northern part of Vatnajökull National Park in the highlands of Iceland, Herðubreið was Stórval’s muse. “It was the mountain he could never get enough of,” writes Unnar Örn. “He couldn’t grasp it. But it was the foundation of his creative force and existence — the mountain within.”
The colourful paintings are hung unpretentiously in i8’s Tryggvagata space, lined up side by side around the brightly lit gallery. Evoking the image of a child running a brush around the stark white walls, they sit close together, steeping visitors in the work’s vivid colours.
The people’s painter
Stórval’s fun renderings of Herðubreið proved very popular, and today they hang in all sorts of spaces, from summerhouses to art museums, coffee houses, and private residences. A 2007 photo book called Herðubreið at Home, created by renowned artist Roni Horn, shows Stórval’s paintings in situ in homes all around Iceland.
In addition to his Herðubreið works, the exhibition also shows a selection of portraits, landscapes, a horse, and the piece Hrútarnir Mínir (My Rams, in English). Below the eight painted ram symbols sits a name: Kari, Svanur, Sómi. The piece perfectly evokes the tender concentration that Stórval was able to knowingly embody; in Unnar Örn’s words, “He painted with conviction, sensitivity, and boisterousness.”
Passion and reverence
“Stefán from Möðrudal” — another of Stefan’s pseudonyms — is a core part of his identity that he held onto after moving to the big city. The piece Örnefni í Möðrudal og Víðidal (Place Names in Möðrudal and Víðidal) shows the attention Stórval gave to the nature around him. The core of his work is an amalgamation of place names scrawled onto all parts of his canvases.
As Unnar Örn says: “Speed was the primary measure of quality, and repetition showed his passion for the subject.” Whether exploring his fixation on Herðubreið, or diligently chronicling names of animals and places, the marrow of Stórval’s work is passion and reverence for the natural world around him. To experience it yourself, step into Gallery i8, and immerse yourself in The Mountain Within.
See the exhibition at i8 on Tryggvagata until October 5
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