Ivan Ivarson: The 1 Best-Known Paintings

A Life in Color

Born on July 20, 1900, in Gothenburg, Sweden, Ivan Ivarson lived a life that moved between the quiet corners of his home and the bright light of the Mediterranean. His early years were spent studying at Valands Painting School from 1922 to 1925 under Tor Bjurström. During this time, he resided in a family villa in Hagen, Långedrag. The colors he used later would become as much a part of his identity as the places he inhabited.

In 1927 and 1928, travel took him through France and Italy. These trips brought a change to his brushwork, as the light from the Mediterranean began to wash over his canvases. He found inspiration in the paintings of Pierre Bonnard. By 1929, he had moved to Helsingør, working in the studio of Carl Kylberg. His marriage to the artist Märta Taube in 1928 marked a period of deep productivity, with their son Per appearing in many of his works from their time at Stenungsön.

The later years brought shifts in geography and personal circumstances. Following a divorce in 1932, he returned to Gothenburg, focusing much of his attention on city motifs. He eventually moved to France, seeking a milder climate for his failing health. He died in Paris on June 26, 1939, at the age of 39.

The Language of Pigment

Ivarson’s approach to the canvas was defined by an intense relationship with color. He once remarked that he wished he could eat color, a sentiment reflected in his heavy use of pigment. He is often associated with a specific shade known as Ivarsonblått, a deep ultramarine blue that he frequently paired with red, green, and yellow. His technique relied on fast brushwork and bold coloring, where contours often appeared blurred or dissolved into the surrounding light.

His work is categorized by several distinct elements:

• Style: A naive expressionist approach characterized by thick, energetic applications of paint.
• Motifs: Landscapes, harbor views, street scenes, and portraits, with a particular fondness for flowers.
• Color Palette: High-contrast combinations featuring deep blues alongside bright primary tones.

The subjects he chose were often grounded in the everyday. He painted flowers in vases, fruit harvests, and the bustling activity of ports. Even when depicting cityscapes like Stora Tullhuset in Gothenburg, the focus remained on how light and color interacted with the structures.

Legacy and Presence

As a member of the Color and Form group in Stockholm and part of the Gothenburg collegists, Ivarson helped shape a specific movement within Swedish art. His work remains held in several significant collections, ensuring his visual language continues to be studied in institutional settings. His paintings can be found in:

• National Museum, Stockholm
• Moderna Museet, Stockholm
• Gothenburg Art Museum
• Museum of Gävle

The permanence of his work lies in the way he captured the atmosphere of a specific era through pure pigment. Whether it was a street in St Georges de Didonne or a simple still life, the focus remained on the physical presence of the paint itself.