Jens Fröberg (b. 1983), an emerging Swedish artist, is captivating with his minimalist and often monochromatic paintings. Born in Malmö, Sweden, Fröberg completed his artistic education at prestigious institutions, including Valand Konsthögskola Gothenburg, Sweden, and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria, where he was awarded the Academy Friends Prize in 2017. Today he lives and works in Malmö and Vienna, and has an impressive series of exhibitions in both countries.
Fröberg’s works are characterized by intense brushwork, subtle colors, and details that captivate the viewer. He skillfully plays with shapes, colors, and light to create extraordinary compositions. In terms of content, his works move between abstraction and concept, while always remaining true to his own language. An outstanding example of this is his work “Light on Monochrome,” which shows the incidence of light on a monochrome painting. This places the work in a very different context from the purely abstract monochrome painting that has long been a central theme in art history.
With each layer of paint, he adds a new dimension to the paintings – His small-scale works are an impressive testimony to Fröberg’s talent. He is inspired by seeing, reading, and thinking about art, and his paintings are a reflection of a deep engagement with art historical trends and ideas.
His works are the result of a continuous process of thinking and creating, drawing inspiration from literature, art, and other creative sources. In an interesting interview with Angelika Seebacher of the Wien Museum, he also talks about the influence of contemporary artists such as Helmut Federle, Suzan Frecon, and Robert Ryman as well as classical masters such as Frank Auerbach, Giorgio Morandi, James Bishop, Cezanne, Albert Pinkham Ryder and Piero della Francesca.
Fröberg’s art is anything but minimalist. Rather, it tends toward a reduction of forms and colors without losing the essence of what is depicted. It is an expression of his personality and his artistic creation, which is constantly in motion and looking for new ways to express itself. With their rough surfaces and worn edges, his paintings reveal their vulnerable bodies and explore both the beauty and the difficulties of human existence.
