T R O E L S C A R L S E N
(Spheres)
Little biographical information exists on Troels Carlsen. Carlsen was born in 1973 and currently resides in Denmark. His work ranges from sculpture to acrylic paintings. Some would label him as a surrealist due to the content in many of his paintings. Carlsen takes antique, formal illustrations and turns them into fine art by painting on top of them, collaging them, and practicing other creative methods. One piece of his in particular I was drawn to was his 2007 acrylic painting on an antique illustration called "Spheres"
Formally this piece is visually striking. Because Carlsen's fantastic ability to render, the piece appears to be done all by the same hand. The palate also unites the piece, giving it an overall old textbook feel. The muted tones and the texture of the paper also add to it's antique illustrations. There appears to be an anatomical figure with a landscape burning through his or her core. A water fall protrudes from the lower abdomen close to the pubic region. The water fades into the page further giving the piece the floating textbook illustration quality. The fire appears to be rendered on a level higher than the figure and landscape. This gives the piece a three dimensional effect. Conceptually I'm in love with this piece.
Two things I find fascinating is how deep the human body is, and the wonder of nature. The two marry beautifully in this piece. Nature is bursting, and burning forth from the human body. To me this is the soul of man, something that is natural, more natural than any physical thing, yearning to break free of all the knowledge we think we know. The illustration of the human body represents how we humans love to break down things, put them in little boxes, stack them in neat layers. Nature yearns to burst from these contrived ideas of power and control. The fire and water bring forth the beautiful anarchy of nature. The contrast between structure and the natural elements are what make this piece so interesting. I look forward to seeing more work from Troels Carlsen.
