Prophet and Flowers Gouache & Ink on Paper 23.5” x 19”
A seventy-two year-old self-taught artist from Sweden, Lars Korse drew and painted throughout his teenage years, but set that interest aside to pursue a law career. Unfortunately, some years later, mental illness derailed him, and it took quite some time to recover. Nearly twenty years ago, Korse began to paint again, incorporating wild animals and elements of Catholicism into his work. Though he began as a figurative painter, Korse turned to abstract geometric shapes for a time, before swinging back to the old forms and ultimately fusing the two.
Painting mainly with yellows and grays, Korse attributes his current color palette to a Milanese airport he’d once passed through. However, before this combination, yellow and brown predominated. This earlier pairing had a more conventional source: the sunflowers of Vincent van Gogh. Korse refers to his artistic style as “Teorealism,” which means “God Reality.” Inspired by the prophet Ezekiel, Korse admits that his paintings can be a bit wild, but his message is one of positivity, freedom, and love. “God is a reality,” he says, “thus the whole of reality, both material and spiritual.” Above all, Korse says, “I want my paintings to fill a person with joy.”
www.korse.se
www.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/Lars_Korse.aspx