N. Zahles Gymnasieskole, a school in central Copenhagen with some 1,150 students from reception class through 12th grade, now features art works by Lars Nørgård and Tal R, respectively, that challenge the students, says the school’s principal, Anne Birgitte Klange:
‘The physical environment and the art that surrounds us affect our perception of the world, stimulate our thinking and enhance our well-being, and the pictures that we have now received make a rich contribution.’
Lars Nørgård’s paintings are hung in the new canteen, which has a sculptural expression in itself that makes it a challenge to introduce art that both matches and challenges. Lars Nørgård’s four paintings are titled ’Natalie I-IV’.
‘There are many ways to characterize Lars Nørgård’s work, and I would like to highlight two dimensions of his art in particular: the bold colour idiom and its unique engagement with the figurative. The two dimensions are closely linked,’ says Professor Morten Kyndrup, member of the board of the New Carlsberg Foundation.
’On the one hand, these pictures are a flat surface; they appear as a vertical accumulation in two dimensions, a flat surface where fragments of figures are fitted into one another in an abstract composition. On the other hand, however, the painting is not pure surface after all. There is in fact also depth, perspective, three dimensions, as one sees the figures not as fitted into one another but as positioned behind and in front of one another. Then the surface suddenly opens – we gaze into a world rather than looking at a surface,’ says Morten Kyndrup.
Colour plays a crucial role in Lars Nørgård’s work, says Morten Kyndrup.
‘Colour contributes to this dual effect – in itself, it creates a visual clash. It is possible to look at these paintings for a long time and still continue to find new components and angles, new depths and falder.’
Tal R’s contribution consists of eight prints that are on display in the study zone. These woodcuts, mainly motifs from the artist’s own travels, convey a longing for faraway places. Travelling often inspires a fresh look at the world, says Tal R, who loves to arrive in a city he knows nothing about and simply wander about, getting lost and losing himself in all the new impressions, some of which later find their way into his work.
