ation of this work a question springs to mind: How would Þórarinn have painted if he had gone to Paris in 1895 instead of Copenhagen? The answer of course will never be known. At 28 years old Þórarinn made the decision to take up painting as his career. He resigned from a good secure job as manager of the bookbinding section of the ísafold Publishing House and risked everything to launch into the precarious world of art. Usually, however, Þórarinn showed no lack of the good economic sense which characterizes the good citizen. Thus behind this decision, which must have appeared absurd in the eyes of his contemporaries, must have dwelt an uncom- monly strong passion for art. Artistic life in lceland at this time was completely unknown. Those few lcelanders, Helgi Sigurösson, Þorsteinn Guðmundsson and Siguröur Guðmundsson, who earlier in the century had chosen painting as their vocation received virtually no commissions on their return home, which indicates just how little incentive the lcelandic society offered their creative talents. Thus hopes of fame and fortune can hardly have been the reason for Þórarinn’s fateful decision. However perhaps the nation’s hopes of increasing independence from Denmark and of a recovering economy imbued men with a waxing optimism at this time in history. Whatever the reasons, Þórarinn’s bold decision was a boon for lcelandic Art. Þórarinn resided in Copenhagen for seven years while attending courses in visual arts; firstly at the Academy of Art until he felt himself impeded there where upon he switched to a private school. This would have been fairly common practice in Copenhagen at that time for the teaching at the Academy of Art was generally acknowledged as having stagnated. In the spring of 1900 Þórarinn came home to paint outdoors in natural surroundings. Just before Christmas he opened an exhibition in Reykjavík of the works he had painted that summer. It was held in a house named Glasgow and continued until January 1901. This was the first exhibition of an lcelandic artist in his native land. That alone makes it an outstanding chapter in the story of lceland’s art history. But it was more than just that; an artist of note had come to light. One of the works in the exhibition was the oil painting Þingvellir (Parliament Plains) which is now owned by the National Gallery of lceland. This picture is nearly abstract in its simplicity. The peace is total. The blue colour in its diverse tonal variations dominates the picture 36

(1) Kápa
(2) Kápa
(3) Saurblað
(4) Saurblað
(5) Blaðsíða 1
(6) Blaðsíða 2
(7) Blaðsíða 3
(8) Blaðsíða 4
(9) Blaðsíða 5
(10) Blaðsíða 6
(11) Blaðsíða 7
(12) Blaðsíða 8
(13) Blaðsíða 9
(14) Blaðsíða 10
(15) Blaðsíða 11
(16) Blaðsíða 12
(17) Blaðsíða 13
(18) Blaðsíða 14
(19) Blaðsíða 15
(20) Blaðsíða 16
(21) Blaðsíða 17
(22) Blaðsíða 18
(23) Blaðsíða 19
(24) Blaðsíða 20
(25) Blaðsíða 21
(26) Blaðsíða 22
(27) Blaðsíða 23
(28) Blaðsíða 24
(29) Blaðsíða 25
(30) Blaðsíða 26
(31) Blaðsíða 27
(32) Blaðsíða 28
(33) Blaðsíða 29
(34) Blaðsíða 30
(35) Blaðsíða 31
(36) Blaðsíða 32
(37) Blaðsíða 33
(38) Blaðsíða 34
(39) Blaðsíða 35
(40) Blaðsíða 36
(41) Blaðsíða 37
(42) Blaðsíða 38
(43) Blaðsíða 39
(44) Blaðsíða 40
(45) Blaðsíða 41
(46) Blaðsíða 42
(47) Blaðsíða 43
(48) Blaðsíða 44
(49) Blaðsíða 45
(50) Blaðsíða 46
(51) Blaðsíða 47
(52) Blaðsíða 48
(53) Blaðsíða 49
(54) Blaðsíða 50
(55) Blaðsíða 51
(56) Blaðsíða 52
(57) Blaðsíða 53
(58) Blaðsíða 54
(59) Blaðsíða 55
(60) Blaðsíða 56
(61) Blaðsíða 57
(62) Blaðsíða 58
(63) Blaðsíða 59
(64) Blaðsíða 60
(65) Blaðsíða 61
(66) Blaðsíða 62
(67) Blaðsíða 63
(68) Blaðsíða 64
(69) Blaðsíða 65
(70) Blaðsíða 66
(71) Blaðsíða 67
(72) Blaðsíða 68
(73) Blaðsíða 69
(74) Blaðsíða 70
(75) Blaðsíða 71
(76) Blaðsíða 72
(77) Blaðsíða 73
(78) Blaðsíða 74
(79) Blaðsíða 75
(80) Blaðsíða 76
(81) Blaðsíða 77
(82) Blaðsíða 78
(83) Blaðsíða 79
(84) Blaðsíða 80
(85) Blaðsíða 81
(86) Blaðsíða 82
(87) Blaðsíða 83
(88) Blaðsíða 84
(89) Blaðsíða 85
(90) Blaðsíða 86
(91) Blaðsíða 87
(92) Blaðsíða 88
(93) Saurblað
(94) Saurblað
(95) Kápa
(96) Kápa
(97) Kvarði
(98) Litaspjald