Deep Field by tijanamiskovic

Deep Field

Odey Curbelo

Deep Field Odey Curbelo

Kataloget er udgivet i forbindelse med udstillingen Deep Field af Odey Curbelo SKIVE KUNSTMUSEUM - en del af organisationen Museum Salling Havnevej 14, 7800 Skive 12. november 2011 - 8. januar 2012 www.skivekunstmuseum.dk ©2011 Odey Curbelo og forfatterne Redaktion: Tijana Mišković og Mira Kongstein Tekster: Else Marie Bukdahl, Rasmus Vestergaard og Cristina Vives Oversættelse: Dorte H. Silver, Gloria Rivas og KE (Liz) Hempel-Jørgensen Grafisk tilrettelæggelse: Jesse Jacob/mediefabrikken.dk og Mira Kongstein Fotos: Anders Sune Berg Fotos side 32 og 34: Alejandro Gonzales Fotos side 33 og 35: Frederikke Friedrichsen Tryk: Mediefabrikken.dk Oplag: 500 ISBN: 978-87-995017-0-0 Kataloget er støttet af:

Augustinus-fonden

Næste side / Next page: Farros (detalje / detail), 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x200 cm

Indhold Contents

Deep Field på Skive Kunstmuseum / Deep Field at Skive Art museum af / by Tijana Mišković

At se med lukkede øjne / Seeing through closed eyes af / by Rasmus Vestergaard

Leyendo al Quijote en inglés / Reading the Quijote in English af / by Cristina Vives

Tradition og fornyelse / Tradition and renewal af / by Else Marie Bukdahl

Værkfortegnelse / Works

CV Odey Curbelo

Deep Field på Skive Kunstmuseum

Deep Field at Skive Art MUSEUM

af / by Tijana Mišković

I perioden fra den 12. december 2011 til den 8. januar 2012 indtager udstillingen Deep Field Skive Kunstmuseums to sale. I sydsalen finder vi Odey Curbelos oliemalerier på lærred tolv nye landskabsmalerier som går i dialog med den danske maleritradition. I nordsalen udstilles værker fra Skive Kunstmuseums egen samling, som Curbelo har udvalgt og sammensat ud fra en idé om at anvende kunsthistorien som en uudtømmelig billedbank af kombinationsmuligheder, der inviterer til nyfortolkninger. I det foreliggende katalog perspektiveres Deep Field igennem tekster af tre personer med særligt indblik i Curbelos kunstneriske praksis. Else Marie Bukdahl, tidligere rektor ved Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi, mødte Curbelo i 2003 under sit besøg i Cuba og inviterede ham til at komme på udveksling ved Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi. I hendes katalogtekst kortlægger hun de kunsthistoriske referencer for Curbelos værker. Den cubanske kurator Cristina Vives bidrag til kataloget, giver os et billede af Curbelos afsæt i den cubanske kunstkontekst og af hendes nære samarbejde med kunstneren. Rasmus Vestergaard tidligere direktør ved Skive Kunstmuseum (daværende SNYK) tager i sin analyse af udstillingen

The exhibition Deep Field takes place in Skive Art Museum from December 12th 2011 to January 8th 2012. In the south wing of the museum we find Odey Curbelo´s oil paintings on canvas; twelve new landscape paintings that go in dialogue with the Danish painting tradition. In the north wing we rediscover works from Skive Art Museum’s own collection. These works are selected by the artist, using the art history as an inexhaustible image bank with numerous possibilities of combinations that invite to new interpretations.. In the present catalogue, Deep Field is put into perspective through texts written by three authors with relevant insight in Curbelo’s artistic practice. Else Marie Bukdahl, former Rector of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, met Curbelo in 2003 during her visit to Cuba and invited him for an exchange program at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In her text she maps the art historical references for Curbelo´s works. The Cuban curator Cristina Vives’ contribution to the catalog draws a picture of Curbelo´s launch pad in the Cuban art context and her close collaboration with the artist. Rasmus Vestergaard, former director at Skive Art Museum (then SNYK) takes the landscape as well as the related painting tradition and visual culture as

udgangspunkt i landskabet og den dertil knyttede maleritradition og billedkultur. Som kurator er jeg meget stolt over at kunne vise Curbelos værker på et kunstmuseum, som til forskel for gallerier og kunsthaller, repræsenterer landets kulturarv. Med udstillingen Deep Field indskrives Curbelo således i en større dansk kunsthistorisk kontekst. Vigtigheden af denne inkludering går udover Curbelos kunstneriske karriere og rammer som genklang de politiske holdninger med et budskab om at den globale kunstscene er i forandring og den danske kunsthistorie ikke kan forblive homogen. Mange tak til Else Marie Bukdahl, Rasmus Vestergaard, Cristina Vives, Mette Dyrberg, vores familie og venner for deres helhjertede engagement på såvel professionel som personlig plan. Også tak til Statens Kunstråds Billedkunstudvalg, Museum Salling, Gross. L.F. Foghts Fond, Augustinus Fonden.

his starting point for reading the exhibition. As the curator of Deep Field, I am very proud to have Curbelo’s works exhibited at an art museum, which, unlike the galleries and art centers, represents the cultural heritage of the country. With this exhibition, Curbelo is being brought into a wider Danish art historical context. The importance of this inclusion goes beyond Curbelo’s artistic career, and hits as resonance the political attitudes with a message that the global art scene is changing and that Danish art history cannot remain homogeneous. Thanks a lot to Else Marie Bukdahl, Rasmus Vestergaard, Cristina Vives, Mette Dyrberg, our family and friends for their wholehearted commitment on both professional and personal level. Thanks also to the National Arts Council Committee, Museum Salling Gross. L.F. Foghts Foundation and the Augustinus Foundation.

Tijana Mišković er MA i kunstteori og formidling Tijana Mišković is MA in Art Theory and Communication 9

Wasserhaf, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

At se med lukkede øjne

Seeing through closed eyes

af / by Rasmus Vestergaard

Et landskab toner frem. Gennem den massive tågedis træder de blålige, grønlige silhuetter af buske, træer og planter frem i et pastelagtigt sfærisk lys. Et andet sted pulserer et bakket og bølgende sommerlandskab af sted. I det dybe billedrum spiller mørkegrønne blade og gulgrønt græs op til en lysende blå sommerhimmel og et næsten turkist hav i horisonten. Bag disse værker er et stort malerisk drive. Det virker uudtømmeligt. De store lærreder strømmer beskueren i møde med en blid intensitet. Vi har at gøre med en landskabsmaler, der til fulde har taget sit motiv til sig og som i sine værker åbner landskabet for os. Eller rettere lader han den natur, vi kender – fra både virkelighedens verden og billedkunsten – komme til syne. Bølger, træer, skrænter, nattehimmel, tåge kobler sig til vores erindringer om dufte, lyde, aftensolens varme, havgusen mod huden. Vi er på hjemmebane. Erindringer står i kø og med stor lyst overgiver vi os til en rejse ind i det velkendte. Men allerede efter de første skridt indser vi, at vores guide har et andet blik på det velkendte. I malerierne kan vi se med hans lukkede øjne.

Gradually, a landscape emerges. Through the solid haze the bluish, greenish silhouettes of bushes, trees and plants appear in a spherical pastel light. Somewhere else, a hilly and undulating summer landscape pulsates. In the deep space of the image, dark green leaves and yellow-green grass form the counterpoint to a bright blue summer sky and an almost turquoise sea in the horizon. Behind these works lies a tremendous artistic drive. It seems inexhaustible. The large canvases reach out to the beholder with gentle intensity. This is a landscape artist who fully embraces his motif and opens the landscape for us through his work. Or rather, he reveals the natural world that we are familiar with – from real life as well as art. Waves, trees, slopes, night skies, mist connect to our memories of scents, sounds, the warmth of the evening sun, the feel of the sea fog on the skin. We are on familiar ground. Memories line up, and delighted, we surrender to this journey into familiar terrain. But after just a few steps, we realise that our guide has a different perception of the familiar. In the paintings we see through his closed eyes.

Odey Curbelos landskabsmaleri, som vi oplever det på DEEP FIELD, folder sig ud som ét sammenhængende projekt, hvor kunstneren søger ind i landskabet og i vores (kollektive) forståelse af landskabet. Hans kunstneriske metode er kendetegnet ved en malerisk insisteren på studiet som forudsætning. Kun gennem de forudgående studier og skitser vil en egentlig forståelse af landskabet aflejre sig på lærredet. Ligeledes er Curbelos meget nære relation til traditionen af afgørende betydning. I malerierne danner kunsthistorien er tydelig klangbund, der fastlægger og pejler landskabets ikoniske elementer og komposition. Men samtidig bryder værkerne fundamentalt med de klassiske før-billeder – fx fra det danske 1800-tals maleri – for at lade landskabet (kunsthistorien) genopstå i et yderst personligt og malerisk billedsprog. Sammenholdt med Curbelos blændende talent for farven er det denne vekslen mellem tradition og traditionsbrud, som gør malerierne så fængslende. For at nærme sig Curbelos kunst, og en måde at se den på, vil det umiddelbart være tillokkende at fæstne sig ved hans cubanske ophav og ved hans billedarv, der er langt fra den danske. Og, naturligvis spiller dette forhold ind på hans maleri. Det kunne være interessant at spore Odey Curbelo i forhold til cubansk billedtradition og inspirationskilder som Velázquez, Goya, Courbet, Monet og Turner. Forbindelserne er der, men denne undersøgelse er ikke ærindet her. Vigtigere er det at konstatere, at traditionen for Curbelo synes at være en samlet ”masse”; en kulturel medgift der frit kan arbejdes med. Her vil jeg i stedet holde fast i malerierne. For værkerne refererer ikke til kunstnerens ophav og tilhørsforhold, men til sig selv som et malerisk projekt. Der er dog ikke tvivl om, at værkerne bygger på

Odey Curbelo’s landscape painting, as we encounter it in DEEP FIELD, unfolds like one coherent project, where the artist delves into the landscape and our (collective) perception of the landscape. His method is characterised by an artistic insistence on the study as a prerequisite. The preliminary studies and sketches are a precondition for capturing an actual understanding of the landscape on the canvas. Curbelo’s close relationship with tradition is similarly crucial. In his paintings, art history clearly serves as a framework that defines and reflects the iconic landscape elements and composition. But the works also constitute a fundamental break away from the classic prior images – for example Danish paintings from the 1800s – and let the landscape (art history) re-emerge in a highly personal and artistic idiom. Combined with Curbelo’s stunning grasp of colour, it is this exchange between tradition and breaches with tradition that make the paintings so captivating. In an attempt at approaching Curbelo’s art and as a means of grasping it, it might seem tempting to focus on his Cuban roots and his artistic heritage, which is very different from the Danish. And of course, these factors have an impact on his work. It might be interesting to examine Odey Curbelo in relation to a Cuban artistic tradition and in relation to sources of inspiration such as Velázquez, Goya, Courbet, Monet and Turner. The connections are there, but such a study is not the focus of the present endeavour. It is more important to note that to Curbelo, tradition seems to constitute a single “mass”; a cultural dowry that can be handled and addressed freely. Here, I will focus instead on the paintings. For the works do not refer to the artist’s origins and affiliations but to themselves as an artistic project. There is no doubt, however, that the works rest on the

den klassiske landskabstradition og -forståelse, der er så veletableret i europæisk billedkultur. Ej heller er der tvivl om, at dette landskab er på udebane. Som beskuer kommer vi til at vakle mellem at kunne genkende og fornemme landskaberne. Vi genkender scenariet i værket UP HERE og fornemmer stedets ånd. Omvendt kan vi kun fornemme scenariet i WASSERHAF, mens vi fuldt ud genkender den disede morgen, hvor planter og steder er reduceret til konturer. Denne dobbelthed – genkendelse vs. fornemmelse – giver Curbelos malerier en visuel styrke og appel, der skærper vores syn og nysgerrighed. Imidlertid er dobbeltheden ikke et retorisk greb, der skal holde os fast. Den er derimod en underliggende erkendelse i et kunstnerisk projekt, hvor malerier indfanger både naturen og naturens mulighed for at være et rum for fordybelse. Malerierne skildrer naturen i sig selv. Værkerne er mennesketomme, landskaberne er ikkekultiverede og ubeboede. Gennem rene og maleriske værker, der konsekvent holdes fri af symboler, maler Curbelo sig ind i landskabet. Curbelos malerier er ofte tænkt i serier. Værker med samme format, motivkreds og farvesprog. Det serielle danner et konceptuelt fundament for hans maleri. Men anvendelsen af serien som kunstnerisk strategi er hos Curbelo så langt fra en senmodernistisk kritisk diskurs, som den kan være. Serierne er ikke rettet mod at skabe sammentømrede, ubrydelige helheder, hvor det enkelte værk er afhængig af sine modstykker for at opnå malerisk identitet og eksistensberettigelse. Derimod er serien hos Curbelo en metode til at indkredse det komplekse. Det gælder ikke mindst, når intentionen er at fastholde land, hav, luft og lys i maleriet. Dybt forankret i det seri-

classic landscape tradition and perception that are so firmly established in European painting. Nor is there any doubt that the landscape finds itself in unfamiliar territory here. As beholders we waver between recognising and sensing the landscapes. We recognise the scenario in UP HERE and sense the spirit of place. On the other hand, we can only sense the scenario in WASSERHAF, while fully recognising the hazy morning scenery where plants and places have been reduced to contours. This duality – recognition versus sensation – gives Curbelo’s paintings a visual strength and appeal that enhances our vision and our curiosity. The duality, however, is not a rhetorical device intended to capture us. Instead, it reflects an underlying awareness in an artistic project where paintings capture both nature and the capacity of nature to form a contemplative space. The paintings portray nature in itself. The works are deserted; the landscapes are non-cultivated and uninhabited. By means of pure pictorial works and consistently avoiding symbols, Curbelo paints his way into the landscape. Curbelo’s paintings are often conceived as series. Works in the same format and within the same family of motifs and colour range. The serial aspect forms a conceptual foundation for his work. However, Curbelo’s use of the series as an artistic strategy is as far from a late-modernist critical discourse as is conceivable. The series are not intended as cohesive, indivisible wholes where the individual work relies on its counterparts for its artistic identity and justification. Instead, Curbelo uses the series as a means of defining complex qualities. That is not least the case when his intention is to capture land, sea, air and light in his work. The serial approach reflects an embedded awareness or maybe even suspicion of the inability of isolated, final statements to

elle er en erkendelse af eller måske ligefrem en mistro til, at enkeltstående, endegyldige svar kan besvare et givent kunstnerisk spørgsmål. For at nå dybere ind i stoffet og finde sine svar er variationen af det specifikke motiv, af konteksten, nødvendig. Værkerne Trasloss, Farros, Lumius, Noche de verano, Phenomenom (alle 200 x 200 cm) kan læses som en undersøgelse af landskabets visuelle fremtræden, når lyset og luften ændres. Tåge, skumringstid, solopgang, regn, frost ændrer landskabets karakter. Men serien – der er repræsentativ for Curbelos kunstneriske projekt – skildrer ikke kun den visuelle transformation. Ligeledes skildres de ændringer, der sker på et mentalt plan i den maleriske proces. De fem malerier i serien fastholder landskabet i en række af kunstneren oplevede øjeblikke. Øjeblikke der formidler den mentale tilstand, som landskabet synes at konkretisere for Curbelo. Serien materialiserer hans forestilling om (og maleriske udlægning af ) naturens indre idé. Selv om vi genkender landskabet og fornemmelsen af det, så materialiserer serien ikke billeder af det konkrete landskab. Malerier er abstraktioner – de er betydningsmættede uddrag fra den natur, som konstituerer landskabet. I den forstand søger Curbelo ind i maleriet for at finde landskabets identitet og nerve. Dét at indfange naturens, landskabets mangfoldighed på lærredet har pirret mange maleres nysgerrighed. Kunsthistorien rummer utallige, vidt forskellige teorier, strategier og metoder udviklet til maleriske praksisser rettet mod at gribe naturens ubegribelighed. For Curbelo er det filosofiske, kunstneriske redskab abstraktionen. Hans malerier synes at udspringe af en erkendelse parallel til dén, Cézanne nåede frem til i slutningen af 1800-tallet: at naturen ikke kan

answer a given artistic question. Varying a specific motif or context is a prerequisite for delving more deeply into the matter and finding answers. The works Trasloss, Farros, Lumius, Noche de verano, Phenomenom (all 200 x 200 cm) can be regarded as an examination of the visual appearance of the landscape with changes in light and air. Fog, twilight, sunrise, rain, frost alter the character of the landscape. However, the series – which is representational of Curbelo’s artistic project – not only portrays the visual transformation. It also portrays the changes that occur on a mental level in the artistic process. The five paintings in the series capture the landscape in a series of moments as experienced by the artist. Moments that convey the mental state that the landscape seems to embody to Curbelo. The series materialises his perception (and his artistic interpretation) of the inner idea of nature. Even if we recognise the landscape and the sense of it, the series does not materialise images of the concrete landscape. Paintings are abstractions – they are excerpts of the natural scenery that constitutes the landscape, imbued with meaning. In this sense, Curbelo strives to go inside the painting to discover the identity and the nerve of the landscape. The endeavour to capture the diversity of nature and of the landscape on canvas has piqued the curiosity of many painters. Art history includes countless and widely varied theories, strategies and methods developed for artistic practices aimed at grasping the incomprehensibility of nature. Curbelo’s philosophical, artistic tool is abstraction. His paintings seem to spring from an awareness which parallels the insight that Cézanne arrived at in the late 1800s: that nature cannot be copied. In order to grasp the genuine substance of nature, the artist must carry out intense studies of the appear-

kopieres. For at nå ind til naturens ægte substans må kunstneren foretage intense studier af den faktiske naturs fremtræden for derefter helt at frigøre sig naturen. Naturen findes ikke i overfladen, men i en forståelse af naturens dybde – og det er denne dybde, som farverne på lærredet skal udtrykke. Odey Curbelos landskaber træder på denne vis frem som malerier, der søger landskabets dybde. Værkerne er abstrakte figurationer baseret på hans studier, oplevelse og sansninger af både virkelighedens natur og den kulturelle konstruktion, som genren ”landskabsmaleri” er. Værkerne er udsagn om hans indlevelse i naturen – i det landskab – han har studeret og bevæget sig i. Gennem malerier fortæller Curbelo os noget om landskabet, men vi bliver ikke klogere på, hvad landskabet er. Svaret på dét spørgsmål ligger i den enkelte beskuer. Derimod får vi med Odey Curbelo som guide mulighed for at opleve værker, der er opstået ved, at kunstneren efter at have sanset og studeret naturen i dybden har kunnet se med lukkede øjne. Det er den indre natur, vi oplever i malerierne. På den måde formår Curbelo at åbne vores øjne og viser sit mentale portræt af landskabet. Et portræt, hvor landskabets umiddelbare fremtræden (som vi kender det) viger for en dybere forståelse af landskabet.

ance of actual nature in order to subsequently achieve full liberation from nature. Nature does not exist on the surface but in an understanding of the profundity of nature – and it is this profundity that the colours on the canvas should express. Thus, Odey Curbelo’s landscapes appear as paintings striving to convey the profundity of the landscape. The works are abstract figurations based on his studies, experiences and sensations of the nature of reality as well as the cultural construction that the genre of “landscape painting” constitutes. The works are statements about his ability to enter into nature, into the landscape that he has studied and moved in. Through his paintings Curbelo tells us something about the landscape, but we are none the wiser as to the true nature of the landscape. The answer to that question lies in the individual beholder. But with Odey Curbelo as our guide we have an opportunity to experience works that spring from the artist’s ability to see with his eyes closed after sensing and studying nature in depth. It is this inner nature that we encounter in the paintings. Thus, Curbelo manages to open our eyes as he offers his mental portrait of the landscape. A portrait where the immediate appearance of the landscape (as we know it) gives way to a more profound understanding of the landscape.

Rasmus Vestergaard er mag.art og tidligere direktør for Skive Kunstmuseum

Rasmus Vestergaard is mag.art and former director of Skive Kunstmuseum

Foregående side / Previous page: Wasserhaf (detalje / detail), 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas,, 200x180 cm

Lumius, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x200 cm

Den gamle sti, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Farros, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x200 cm

Nordkyst I, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Næste sider / Next pages: Nordkyst II, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm Nordkyst III, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Foregående side / Previous page: Nordkyst III (detalje/detail), 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Leyendo al Quijote en inglés

Reading the Quijote in English

af / by Cristina Vives

Odey Curbelo pintaba marinas en La Habana a principios de la década del 2000. Eran tiempos en que se pintaba, sí; porque a decir verdad, nunca se dejó de pintar en Cuba. Pero el escenario artístico de esos años, los críticos de arte, las Instituciones y el Mercado (en mayúsculas) se fascinaban con el desbordamiento de los soportes tradicionales de la pintura (su coqueteo con la tridimensionalidad), o con su mixtura con otros medios (en particular con los tecnológicos), o por los contenidos semánticos de las obras. La pintura debía mostrar entre toda aquella producción de arte, su capacidad de contemporaneidad y de adecuación. Se medía el valor del producto pictórico –hablo del cuadro, que como sabemos es sólo un objeto- en la medida en que sus intenciones lo sobrepasaban: temas o estilos que pusieran en tela de juicio a la historiografía del arte, cuestionamientos a los procesos sociales y políticos que les estaban asociados; morfologías que se asemejaran a las propias de otros lenguajes; en fin, todos demandábamos del lienzo algo más que un lienzo cubierto de pigmento. En otras palabras, pedíamos que una superficie pictórica se convirtiera en un statement de algo. Estábamos –y todavía estamos demandando contenidos. No dudo que los artistas que como Odey “pintaban” –así, a secas- en esos años, sintieran además del placer

Odey Curbelo painted seascapes in Havana in the early 2000’s. Painting was in the air at that moment in time, indeed. Because to tell you the truth, painters have never stopped painting in Cuba. But the artistic milieu of those years, the art critics, the Art Establishment and the Market (in capital letters) were fascinated with the overflowing of traditional supports (flirting with three-dimension), or with their mix with other supports (in particular the technological), or the semantic contents of the works. Painting, among the entire artistic production, had to demonstrate its contemporary and adaptive capacity. The worth of the pictorial product was judged – and I am speaking here of canvases, that as we all know are just objects – by its intentions: themes or styles that would query art history, question the associated social and political processes; morphologies that would seem to be taken from other languages; in short, we all claimed for more, more than a canvas just covered in paint. In other words, we called for a pictorial surface transformed into a statement of something. We were – and we still are - demanding substance. I have no doubt that artists such as Odey who “painted”, – like that, pure and simple – in those years, felt besides the pleasure of painting, a certain guilt for

Coleccionista de miel, 2009 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

de pintar, una cierta sensación de culpa por hacerlo. Debieron suponer que no era el timing adecuado, o que había que hacer otra cosa para probar validez y pertenencia al momento histórico. Pero Odey, junto a otros de su generación y de generaciones precedentes, seguían pintando obsesivamente sin atención a estas demandas. A diferencia de los críticos, de la Institución Arte y del Mercado (en mayúsculas), ellos entendían que la pintura era, en sí misma, un contenido. Abstracciones en pequeño y gran formato Con algo de retraso, en el verano del 2009, conviví con Odey Curbelo en La Habana. Estaba pintando unos lienzos grandes que en su superficie final dejaban ver algunos paisajes obviamente cubanos (yo podía ver las fotos que tiempo atrás él había tomado en algunos sitios que me eran familiares y que estaba utilizando como referentes); pero en lugar de enfrentarme a la superficie terminada del cuadro, tenia el privilegio de ver el proceso, casi día a día. Hablábamos mientras pin-

doing so. They must have guessed that their timing was wrong, or that they had to do something else to prove validity and ownership vis-à-vis the historical moment. But Odey, like others of his generation and previous generations, went on painting obsessively without paying attention to these demands. Contrary to the critics, the Art Establishment and the Market (in capital letters), they understood that their painting by itself was substance. Small and Large Format Abstractions With some delay, in the summer of the 2009, Odey Curbelo lived in my studio in Havana. He was painting large canvases that allowed me to see some obviously Cuban landscapes 1 (I could see the shots that he had taken in some familiar places and that he was using as a reference) in their final surface; but instead of facing the finished surface of the canvases, I had the privilege of seeing the process, almost day by day. We spoke while he painted and he also showed me some small canvases, not larger than 30 x 40 cm

1. Son los lienzos que expuso en su exposición personal en el Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales de La Habana en ese año y a la que tituló Terrena, aludiendo a la materia física (pigmentos, aceites) que compone a toda pintura.

The Black Lake, 2008 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 40x30 cm

taba y también me mostraba unos lienzos pequeños, no mayores de 30 x 40 centímetros, que había hecho entre el 2006 y el 2007 en Dinamarca. Debo decir que más que en sus óleos cubanos en progreso, fueron su conversación y esas pequeñas pinturas las que me indicaban cuan lejos podíamos estar de sus verdaderas motivaciones. Entre el 2002 (año de aquellas marinas iniciales) y la fecha de estos pequeños lienzos, su vida había transcurrido entre Copenhague y La Habana, experiencia útil en lo personal y lo profesional, si tal distinción fuera posible. No voy a referirme en lo absoluto a las referencias cubanas, danesas o de la Historia del Arte internacional que están presentes en los temas y géneros pintados por Odey, pues ya sobre ello han hablado otros críticos; lo que deseo enfatizar es que tal desplazamiento le permitió disponer del tiempo y las condiciones necesarias para estudiar, escudriñar –o mas bien diseccionar- en los museos europeos a cientos de pinturas de todas las épocas y de casi todas las geografías. Los pequeños lienzos que menciono eran el resultado de ese proceso de disección al que sometía a las pinturas de su preferencia. Era un proceso casi milimétrico en lo visual, un escaneo en varias direcciones y profundidades buscando las posibilidades infinitas de la pintura; pero no en el sentido de la variedad de géneros, estilos o técnicas, sino en la infinita posibilidad de entrar y salir (zoom in/out) en cada área de pigmento y considerarlo una realidad pictórica en si misma. De hecho, cualquie-

that had made between the 2006 and the 2007 in Denmark. I should say that more than in his Cuban oils in progress, his conversation and those small paintings told me how distant we could be from his true motivations. Between the 2002 (year of those initial seascapes) and the date of these small canvases, he had lived between Copenhagen and Havana, and had had useful personal and professional experiences, if making such a distinction is at all possible. I will not refer at all to the Cuban, Danish and international art history references that are present in the themes and genres painted by Odey, since other critics have already written about them; what I want to emphasize is that such travels allowed him to have the time and the necessary conditions to study, to examine -or rather to dissect - in the museums of Europe hundreds of paintings of all times and of almost all latitudes. The small canvases that I mention were the result of such dissection process to which he subjected his favourite paintings. It was almost a millimetric visual process, a multiple scan in various directions and depths looking for the infinite possibilities of painting; not regarding the variety of genres, styles or techniques, but the infinite possibility of zooming in/out of each area of pigment, considering such fragment a pictorial reality in itself. In fact, anyone of these small canvases could have been magnified, but it was not necessary since they concentrated in a few

1. These are canvases he showed in a personal exhibition at the Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales in Havana during that year, which was called Terrena, alluding to the physical matter (pigments, oils) , constituent parts of any type of paint.

Fábrica de caramelos, 2009 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 180x150 cm

ra de estos pequeños lienzos podía haber sido magnificado, pero no era necesario porque concentraban en sus escasos centímetros cuadrados toda la realidad de pintura que Odey estaba interesado en crear. Vista así, la pintura de Odey es una abstracción. Tal aseveración parecería un contrasentido si nos detenemos frente a las escenas de género que aparentan sus cuadros, pues contravendrían las definiciones de lo abstracto como estilo asumidas desde la modernidad. Pero hablo de procesos de conocimiento, de lo que se esconde tras la superficie de las obras. Si convenimos en ponderar a estos procesos de creación tanto o más que al resultado mismo, entonces no dudaremos de la naturaleza abstracta de sus paisajes. Es quizás ese pensamiento profundamente analítico, el responsable de que las obras de Odey nos provoquen extrañamiento. Y es que estamos frente a un proceso “abstraído” (en tanto distanciado) de referentes, de estilos, narrativas, textualidades y simbolismos concretos, propios de otros momentos de la historia de la pintura y no necesariamente propios del hoy del artista. Ya Odey había declarado estar interesado en el estudio de los espacios pictóricos que encuentra en la pintura clásica y en el poder evocador y la teatralidad contenida en sus narraciones; pero atención: lo que hace es apropiarse

square centimetres the whole reality of painting that Odey was interested in creating. Seen from this angle, Odey’s paintings are abstractions. Such a statement would seem absurd when we look at the genre scenes depicted in his canvases, because it would contravene the definitions of the abstract as a style assumed from modernity. But I speak of processes of knowledge, of what is hidden under the surface of his works. If we agree that we should ponder these creative processes as much or much more than the results, then we should not doubt the abstract nature of his landscapes. Perhaps his deeply analytic thought is accountable for the estrangement that Odey’s paintings beget. And in fact, we are witnessing an “abstracted” process (inasmuch as distant) from references, styles, narratives, concepts and concrete symbolisms, typical of other moments of the history of the painting and not necessarily characteristic of the today’s artists. Odey had already stated that he was interested in the study of the pictorial spaces that he found in classic painting and in the evocative power and the drama contained in its narrations; but beware: what he is doing is appropriating those spaces and drama to explore the how and the why of each brushstroke and volume of pigment. This estrangement (I prefer to call it “decentring”)

Dansk kyst, 2008 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 40x30 cm

de esos espacios y esa teatralidad para explorar el cómo y el por qué de cada pincelada y de cada volumen de pigmento. Este extrañamiento (prefiero llamarlo “descentramiento”) que menciono, y al que también se han referido otros autores, es el mismo que se siente al leer un clásico de la literatura con las herramientas de otras lenguas que lo interpretan. Estas últimas intentan ser fieles, respetuosas y de hecho efectivas para aprehender al original, pero la diferencia de sus naturalezas culturales estará ahí, recordándonos siempre que estamos separados del cómo y el por qué fueron escritas. En este sentido, frente a las pinturas de Odey, siempre tengo la certeza de que estoy leyendo al Quijote pero en su versión inglesa.

that I mention, and to which other authors have also referred, is the same you feel when reading a classic of world’s literature with the tools of other languages. They try to be true to the original, even respectful and are, in fact, effective to comprehend the original, but the cultural differences will still be there, as a constant reminder that we are separated by the how and the why they were written. In this sense, while looking at Odey’s paintings, I always have the certainty that I am reading the Quixote but in its English version.

Deep Field Diez años después, en Roma, en Berlín, de nuevo en La Habana y ahora en Copenhague, Odey Curbelo continúa pintando marinas –entre otros temas que aquí o allá afloran de sus observaciones a la obra de muchos de los clásicos que admira o simplemente de sus experiencias personales-; pero no hay necesidad de justificar estas aproximaciones temáticas, ni siquiera tomarlas muy en cuenta. Pienso que Odey pinta marinas porque el mar le parece un escenario perfecto para explorar los valores de lo azul.

Deep Field Ten years later, in Rome, in Berlin, again in Havana and now in Copenhagen, Odey Curbelo continues painting seascapes - among other topics that emerge here or there from his observations of the work of many of the classics that he admires or simply from his personal experiences; but there is no need to justify these thematic approaches, not even to take them into account. I think that Odey paints seascapes because the sea is a perfect scenario for him to explore the values of the colour blue.

Cristina Vives es historiadora de arte, curadora y editora

Cristina Vives is an art historian, curator and editor

Foregående side / Previous page: Nordkyst III (detalje/detail), 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Phenomenon, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x200 cm

Aux amants de la mer, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x170 cm

Noche de Verano, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Trasloss, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x200 cm

Up Here, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Foregående side / Previous page: Up Here (detalje/detail), 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Tradition og fornyelse

Tradition and renewal

af / by Else Marie Bukdahl

Tit glemmer vi, at det i vid udstrækning er malerne, der har præget vor opfattelse af naturen og byrummet. De har også lært os at se sider af naturen, som vi i vor fortravlede hverdag ikke har blik for. Og de har gang på gang sprængt det konventionalitetens slør, der ofte svøber sig om vort erfaringsrum. Det er i 1600-tallet, fortrinsvis i Nederlandene at især landskabsmaleriet for alvor bliver selvstændigt og efterhånden udvikler sig i et hurtigt tempo. Men katolicismen eller enevældens magt havde ingen plads i hollændernes samfundsliv og det betød, at billedkunsten ikke mere var særligt bundet til kirke og stat og derfor kunne de genrer som hidtil have stået i kulissen udvikle sig frit. Man behøver blot at tænke på Jan van Goyens og Jacob van Ruisdals landskabskunst. Det er dog først i romantikken, at landskabskunsten får en fremtrædende plads i kulturlivet. Den store tyske landskabsmaler Casper David Friedrich bliver den dominerende skikkelse, der skaber naturscenerier med nye spændinger mellem virkelighedens

We often forget that artists have been largely responsible for shaping our understanding of nature and urban space. They have also taught us to see aspects of nature that we, in our busy daily-lives, have never noticed. And time after time they have torn to shreds the veil of conventionality that often shrouds our experiential space.It was during the 17th century that, especially in the Netherlands, landscape painting became an autonomous genre and developed rapidly. Catholicism or absolute monarchy did not play a dominant role in Dutch society, which meant that art was not particularly bound to the church or the crown; the various genres that had been waiting in the wings were therefore able to develop freely. One has only to think of the landscapes of Jan van Goyen and Jacob van Ruisdal. However, it is not until the Romantic period that landscape art achieves a prominent place in the cultural world. Casper David Friedrich, the great German landscape painter, was the dominant figure who created scenes of nature with new tensions between the

og idealitetens verden. De opleves den dag i dag som aktuelle. Han studerede på Det Kongelige Dansk Kunstakademi sammen med Christen Købke og C. W. Eckersberg, der skabte fornyelse i dansk landskabskunst og lod farven få en ny og berettiget plads i den kunstneriske fortolkning. De franske impressionister, især Claude Monet, sætter en ny dagsorden indenfor landskabsmaleriet i de sidste fire årtier af det 19. århundrede. De bliver med rette kaldt ”øjeblikkets” malere, idet de er optaget af at indfange naturens mange små forvandlinger. I den berømte serie, hvor Monet har malet katedralen i Rouen i forskellige øjeblikke og med både lette og præcise tolkninger af de skiftende lysvirkninger og atmosfæriske vibrationer træder fornyelsen tydeligt frem. Landskabsmaleriet beholder en temmelig central stilling, indtil modernismens mange opbrud i det 20. århundrede og de forskellige opgør med naturillusionen overtager føringen. Men det betød ikke, at landskabsmaleriet blev fastlåst i traditionens spændetrøje. Det blev ved med at udvikle sig og blev ofte præget af spændinger mellem tradition og fornyelse, samtidig med at det også optrådte som et selvstændigt malerisk univers. Især landskabsmalerne studerede nysgerrigt, men også kritisk fortidens landskabskunst og blev gennem dette arbejde kombineret med intense studier af naturen inspireret til at skabe nye former for landskabskunst. En sådan arbejdsmåde præger på en særlig tydelig måde Odey Curbelos landskabskunst. Når man betragter udviklingsforløbene i hans landskaber bliver man hurtigt klar over, at han har arbejdet sig frem til en original malerisk tolkning af naturen både gennem direkte naturstudier og gennem analyser af såvel

worlds of reality and idealism. His works have just as much impact today as then. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts together with Christen Købke and CW Eckersberg, who initiated a renewal in Danish landscape art, giving colour a new and welldeserved place in artistic interpretation. The French impressionists, especially Claude Monet, set a new agenda within landscape painting in the last four decades of the 19th century. They were justly called painters of the moment as they were interested in capturing nature’s small changes. In the famous series of paintings of the cathedral in Rouen, Monet has painted different moments; artistic renewal is clearly depicted through both subtle and precise interpretations of the changing effects of the light and atmospheric vibrations. Landscape painting maintains a rather central position until modernism’s many breakthroughs in the 20th century when various confrontations with the illusion of nature take over the lead. However, this did not mean that landscape painting remained constrained by the straitjacket of tradition. It continued to develop and often bore signs of the tension between tradition and renewal, whilst also maintaining a role as an independent, painterly universe. In particular landscape artists studied earlier landscape art - not only with great interest but also critically. Through this work, combined with intense outdoor studies of nature, they were inspired to create new forms of landscape art. Such work techniques quite clearly influence Odey Curbelo’s landscape art. Considering his development in landscape painting, one quickly becomes aware that he has worked towards an original, painterly interpretation of nature, both through direct study of nature as well as through analysis of contemporary and older

samtidige som ældre landskabsmalerier. Det er disse studier, der har stimuleret ham til at finde nye svar på de mange spørgsmål, som gengivelsen af naturen rejser i dag. I flere af hans landskabsmalerier kan man se erindringsspor fra studier af især de franske impressionisters og Skagensmalernes opfattelse af naturen og byrummet. Han er som de franske impressionister - især Monet først og fremmest optaget af at indfange naturens farvekarakter og lysfylde. Det er et malerisk univers, vi bliver præsenteret for. Derfor bliver landskabernes form- og lineære kvaliteter underbetonet, men bliver præget af en forunderlig livsfylde. Som impressionisterne har han også på sin egen måde været optaget af at indfange det ofte uventede lys-skygge- og farvespil, der præger naturen. Han formår at præge den med en særlig intensitet og drager os derved ind i dens tryllekreds. Også de mange flygtige bevægelser, der hele tiden dukker op i naturen, har han som i Nordkyst fæstnet til lærredet. Han har ofte sat farverne dristigt og udtryksfuldt ved siden af hinanden og derved skabt et sitrende nærvær. Også Corots lysfyldte poetiske landskaber har inspireret Odey Curbelo. For flere af hans landskabsbilleder - f. eks. Nordkyst Sommernat - er præget af en fin poesi. Men han har i sin kunst også brugt erfaringerne fra den frodige natur i Cuba som et fortolkningsfilter og derved bliver hans landskaber præget af en mere stærk og intens farveholdning. De er tydeligvis set gennem et cubansk temperament, men på en udtryksfuld måde smeltet sammen med indtrykkene fra den danske og franske kunst og natur. Også hans møde med Skagensmalerne har haft betydning for hans kunstneriske interesse for både fiskernes dagligliv og det voldsomme hav, der var deres

landscape painting. It is these studies that have stimulated him to find new answers to the many questions that arise when depicting the landscape today. In several of his landscape paintings you can see traces from studies of especially French impressionists’ and the Skagen painters’ understanding of nature and urban space. He is - like the French impressionists - in particular Monet - primarily interested in capturing the character of nature’s colours and the effects of light. It is a painterly universe we are presented with. Therefore the forms and linear qualities of the landscape are emphasised but are marked by a wonderful vitality. Like the impressionists he has also in his own way been interested in capturing the often unexpected play of light and shadow and colour that characterises nature. He manages to achieve this with a special intensity and draws us therewith into its magic circle. He has also captured on canvas - for example in Nordkyst (North Coast) - the many ephemeral movements that occur in nature. Colours are often placed boldly and expressively next to each other, thereby creating a shimmering presence.Corot’s light-filled poetic landscape paintings have also inspired Odey Curbelo. Several of his paintings - for example, Nordkyst sommernat (North Coast summer-night) - have a fine poetic character. However, he has also used his experiences in the verdant nature of Cuba as guide to interpreting nature in his art and this makes for landscapes characterised by stronger and more intense colour combinations. They are clearly seen with a Cuban temperament, but in an expressive way blended with impressions from Danish and French art and nature. Odey Curbelo’s meeting with the Skagen painters has had an impact on him with regards his artistic interest

levebrød, men som også blev deres tragiske skæbne. Det er måske især P.S. Krøyers, Michael Anchers og Carl Lochers billeder, der har fascineret Odey Curbelo. For i deres fortolkninger af livet i Skagen spiller havets urkraft en central rolle. Det er fascinerende og frygtindgydende på samme tid og minder os om, at der er naturkræfter, som vi ikke kan overvinde. Der er heller ikke tvivl om, at Anna Anchers poetiske univers har haft betydning for hans landskabskunst. Det er måske ikke så meget hendes motivverden, der har inspireret ham, men i højere grad hendes suveræne evne til at genskabe som impressionisterne et rent malerisk univers, der gengiver vor verdens farvekarakter og lysspil på en levende og nærværende måde. På en selvstændig måde har Odey Curbelos landskabskunst især genfortolket Skagensmalernes optagethed af havets dramatik og magiske tiltrækningskraft. I Up Here og Øen har han formået at skildre bølgernes gådefulde væsen og deres kraftfulde bevægelser på en betagende måde. Men igen kan man se, at han også har studeret de snart voldsomme, snart mere poetiske indtryk fra havet, der omkranser hans fødeø, Cuba. Bølgerne har en mere kraftig farvekarakter og lyset er stærkere end i Skagensmalernes billeder. Igen får Odey Curbelos landskabsbilleder en særlig udtrykskraft, fordi han forbinder indtryk fra Skagensmalernes kunstneriske univers med indtryk fra Cubas kunst og natur. Og det er nok i denne særlige kunstneriske forening af to forskellige kulturer, og naturformer, at man finder de mest originale træk i hans kunst. De mange oplevelsesgivende og betydningsskabende træk i Odey Curbelos landskabskunst appellerer både til vort intellekt, vor fantasi og vore følelser og

for both the daily lives of fishermen and the violent sea that was their livelihood and also sometimes their tragic fate. It is especially PS Krøyer’s, Michael Ancher’s and Carl Locher’s paintings that have fascinated him. In their representation of life in Skagen the power of the sea has played a major role - it is fascinating and awesome at the same time and reminds us that there are forces in nature we cannot overcome. There is no doubt that Anna Ancher’s poetic universe has influenced his landscape art; perhaps not so much by her subject matter but by her impressive ability to re-create - like the impressionists - a pure, painterly universe that reproduces our world’s colours and play of light in a vibrant and personal way. In his own independent way Odey Curbelo re-interprets in his landscapes the Skagen painters’ fascination with the drama and magical powers of attraction that the sea holds. In Up here and Øen (The island) he has managed to present the waves’ mysterious character and their powerful movements in an enchanting way. Yet one can see that he has also studied the alternating violent and poetic impressions of the seas that surround the island of his birth, Cuba. The waves have a more powerful character and the light is stronger than that in the Skagen artists’ pictures. Again, Odey Curbelo’s landscape paintings have a special expressive power because he combines inspiration from the Skagen painters’ artistic universe with impressions from Cuban art and nature. And it is probably this special artistic combination of two different cultures and forms of nature that is the most characteristic feature of his art. The many experiences to be gained from Odey Curbelo’s landscape art and its meaning-making qualities appeal to our intellect, our fantasy and our feelings. It

afdækker nye og uventede sider af en kendt verden. Han er netop et godt eksempel på, at det ofte er landskabsmalerne der kan vise, at den natur vi tror, vi er fortrolige med, rummer både store perspektiver, små nuancer og gådefulde rum, som vi ikke har lagt mærke til.

also reveals new and unexpected aspects of a familiar world. He is indeed a good example of landscape artists who show us that the nature we think we know contains both large perspectives, subtleties and mystic spaces, which we have not noticed before.

Else Marie Bukdahl er dr. phil. og tidligere rektor for Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi.

Else Marie Bukdahl is dr. phil. and former president of the Royal Danish Academy for the Fine Arts

Foregående side / Previous page: Øen (detalje/detail), 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x170 cm

Øen, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x170 cm

Wasserhaf, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Lumius, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x200 cm

Den gamle sti, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Nordkyst I, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Nordkyst II, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Nordkyst III, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Phenomenon, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x200 cm

Aux amants de la mer, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x170 cm

Trasloss, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x200 cm

Farros, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x200 cm

Noche de Verano, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Up Here, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x180 cm

Øen, 2011 Olje på lærred / Oil on canvas, 200x170 cm

CURRICULUM VITAE Odey Curbelo Urquijo Født i/Born in 1976, Cienfuegos, Cuba Bor og arbejder i Danmark/Lives and works in Denmark

Uddannelse/Education 2004 - 2007 MFA/Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi/The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts København, Danmark/Copenhagen, Denmark 1999 - 2006 Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA), The University of Arts of Cuba La Habana/Havana, Cuba

Udvalgte soloudstillinger/Selected Solo Exhibitions

2011

Deep Field, Skive Kunstmuseum/Skive Art Museum Skive, Danmark/Denmark

2009

Terrena, Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales/Centre for the Development of Visual Arts La Habana/Havana, Cuba

2008

Master of Hunt, Christoffer Egelund Gallery København, Danmark/Copenhagen, Denmark

2007

Out of Season, Galleri Q /Gallery Q København, Danmark/Copenhagen, Denmark

2006

El placer es todo mío, Galería Carmelo González La Habana/Havana, Cuba

2003

Daños colaterales, Galería 23 y 12 La Habana/Havana, Cuba

Udvalgte gruppeudstillinger/Selected Group Exhibitions 2010

Bomba, Centro de Arte Contemporaneo Wifredo Lam, La Habana/Havana, Cuba Last temptation, Co-Lab, København, Danmark/Copenhagen, Denmark

2008

Plastilina, Centro Iberoamericano de Cultura, La Habana/Havana, Cuba

2007 2006

Invited to Invite, Henningsen Contemporary, København, Danmark/Copenhagen, Denmark Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling, Den Frie Udstilling, København, Danmark/Copenhagen, Denmark EXIT 07, Kunstforeningen GL STRAND, København, Danmark/Copenhagen, Denmark

2005

4to Salón de Arte Cubano Contemporáneo, Centro de Desarrollo de las Artes Visuales/ Centre for the Development of Visual Arts, La Habana/Havana, Cuba Pintura Húmeda, Galería Biblioteca Nacional, La Habana/Havana, Cuba

2002

El doble o la mitad, Centro Cultural de España, La Habana/Havana, Cuba

Forårsudstillingen 2006, Charlottenborg, København, Danmark/Copenhagen, Denmark The Mattew Barney Show, Boca, San Francisco, USA

Deep Field Odey Curbelo