Icelandic Art of Snæfell Essay

Icelandic Art of Snæfell
In East Iceland
(Snæfell is not to be confused with
Snæfellsjökul in west Iceland)

All of these paintings of east Iceland's Snæfell, the tallest freestanding mountain in Iceland, show the view looking east. All, except #1 and #7, were on exhibit at Skriðuklaustur, the museum residence of Gunnar Gunnarsson to the east of Snæfell, in 2005, where I spent a month-long writer's residency. Skriðuklaustur is close by to the east of Snæfell.

1
Snæfell
Víðir Mýrmann (1973- ), Icelandic
Oil on canvas, 51" x 51" (w x h), 2021

Víðir Mýrmann studied here in Iceland and also in Norway. His art has been in many group and solo exhibitions starting in 2000. On Facebook HERE. More about the artist HERE.

2
Snæfell
Jóhannes Kjarval (1885-1972), Icelandic
Watercolor on paper, 9" x 7" (w x h), 1916
Minjasafn Austurlands / Museum of East Iceland

Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval is by many considered one of the most (if not the most) important artists of Iceland. Kjarval was a prolific painter, leaving thousands of drawings and paintings after a long life. His paintings vary in style, often mixing different styles into his own personal style. Thus, it's an oversimplification to classify him has a landscape painter. In 1958, he was awarded the Prince Eugen Medal by the King of Sweden. The distinctive Reykjavik museum, Kjarvalsstaðir, houses many of his paintings.

3
Snæfell
Eyjólfur J. Eyfells (1886-1979), Icelandic
Oil on canvas, 18" x 11" (w x h)

Minjasafn Austurlands / Museum of East Iceland
Education:
1923-1924, Simonson-Castelli Private School, Germany
1909-1912, Studied with Stefán Eiríksson, Iceland
Solo shows:
1986, Kjarvalsstaðir, Iceland
Overview show:
1976, Árnesingar Art Museum, Iceland
1975, Kjarvalsstaðir, Iceland
Eyjólfur J. Eyfells' son, Johann Eyfells (1923-2019) was an Icelandic artist who lived and worked in Fredericksburg, Texas.

4
Snæfell
Hrafnhildur Inga Sigurðardóttir (1946- ), Icelandic
Oil on canvas, 16" x 25" (w x h), 2005
Private Collection

Hrafnhildur Inga Sigurðardóttir was born on in 1946 on the south coast, Fljótshlíð, and grew up there. She lives in Reykjavík and in Fljótshlíð by the bank of Þverá. She studied art at the Reykjavík Academy of Fine Arts in 1978 and 1979, the Icelandic School of Fine Arts and Crafts (now the Iceland Academy of the Arts), 1980-1984 and graduated in graphic design. She studied in oil painting at the Kópavogur Art School 1999-2000. She's a member of SÍM, the Association of Icelandic Visual Artists.

5
Snæfell
Kristín Þorkelsdóttir (1936- ), Icelandic
Watercolor on paper, 41" x 15" (w x h), 2002
Private Collection

Kristín Þorkelsdóttir, born in Reykjavik, graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts in 1956. She went on to a successful career as a graphic designer, from butter to bank notes, forming a noted advertising agency.

6
Snæfell
Guðmundur Einarsson (1895-1963) Icelandic frá Miðdal
Oil on canvas, 31" x 24" (w x h)
Private Collection

Guðmundur Einarsson, known as Guðmundur frá (from) Miðdal, worked in a variety of media, painting, sculpture, graphics, ceramics, photography, and film. He studied art in Iceland, beginning in 1911 before studying art in Copenhagen, 1919-20, and Munich, 1920-25. He is the father of the Icelandic artist Erro.

7
Snæfell
Ólöf Svava Guðmundsdóttir, Icelandic
Watercolor on paper, 2009

Ólöf Svava Guðmundsdóttir was born and raised in Reykjavík. She's been a preschool and art teacher for many years. Ólöf has also taught watercolor painting at the Kópavogur Art School. Solo exhibitions 2020: Hannesarholt. 2019: Eldheimar Vestmannaeyjar. 2015: Hannesarholt. Joint exhibitions 2020: Mosfellsbær Art Gallery, Vatnslitafélag Íslands (Icelandic Watercolor Society). 2020: Skúmaskot. 2020: Nordic Watercolor Society and The Royal Watercolor Society of Wales, held in Wales (Gaer Museum). A photo of her painting and her art can be see HERE. Her Facebook page is HERE.

8
Snæfell
Finnur Jónsson (1858-1934), Icelandic
Oil on canvas, 46" x 33" (w x h), 1935
Bændasamök / Farmers' Association

Finnur Jónsson's first exhibition was in 1926 at an international exhibition of modern Art by the Société Anonyme at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, NY in 1926. His most recent exhibition was in 2018, No Man's Land - Where Beauty Alone Reigns? at the Reykjavík Art Museum, Reykjavik. Other notable shows were at Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, CA. Finnur Jónsson's art is in at least two museum collections, the National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik and the Kópavogur Art Museum - Gerðarsafn, Kópavogur, Iceland.