Faroese Art - The Mothers and Fathers of Faroese Art

The Mothers and Fathers of Faroese Art

The real history of Faroese art starts in the year 1927. This year, three young artists held an exhibition in Tórshavn. Two of these were Sámal Joensen-Mikines (1906–1979) and William Heinesen (1900–1990)

The first, Mikines, came to be known as the father of Faroese art and the first Faroese artist to become internationally recognised. More importantly he was the very first Faroese artist to acquire an artistic degree. Mikines began his education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 1928 with Aksel Jørgensen and Ejnar Nielsen as his teachers. Mikines was artistically highly inspired by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, and had a great admiration for El Greco and Delacroix. His early paintings are naturalistic, but later he became an expressive figurative painter. He was very original in his choice of colour and design. Mikines demonstrated a new approach to substance and form in painting which had a profound influence on Faroese art. He painted funerals, steep mountains and landscapes. His paintings of pilot whaling became important to future artists. He introduced the possibility of allowing the landscape to mirror the painter´s inner life.

William Heinesen was a very different type of artist. Literature was his vocation. Although he considered himself an amateur in visual art, he created some very important works in Faroese art. His imagery doesn't evolve around the landscape. Folktale, satire and everyday life are Heinesen's subjects.