Visual poetry in scarlet: picturesque abstractions by Lisbeth Henriksen

Written by David Knoll

17/3/2023

Lisbeth Henriksen. Red, oil and acrylic on canvas, 115x130 cm, 2022

From the point of view of perception, Lisbeth Henriksen’s works suggest a solid tactile impact, albeit with a low level of objectivity. In her mature artistic style, she endows architectural pauses, which are nothing more than visual cadences, with a special function. In her performance, they are not just the result of compositional construction, in contrast to the non-objective tradition from which they originate, but the backbone. They are necessary for maintaining a skeleton of visual expectations and organically spreading vertical and horizontal lines to balance the space.

Lisbeth Henriksen’s work on tones is even more complex and fascinating, revealing her pure and naked poetic abilities. The artist’s work aims at transformation and interaction. Therefore, it is pointless to focus on the naturalistic hints hidden in her glowing blacks, the varied range of pink ochres, the greys that emanate from the cement, and her red hues, sometimes derived from dark browns. She skillfully combines a visual ‘flair’ and a penchant for a discrete non-declamatory approach, full of cautious hesitation.

Thus, Lisbeth Henriksen’s graphic stock intricately combines numerous elements: accurate pictorial choice, sharp post-conceptual thoughts, the development of a slow and animating process (time is the artist’s first tool) that is focused on the work, not on the final result, and the coincidence of the internal history of the art with the existential consciousness of the artist. Her paintings require a different reaction from the observer. To look at the paintings of Lisbeth Henriksen is not a question or an answer: it is an experience of temporal extension, taste, and intensity.

David Knoll has published widely on international modernism and in 2011 was a Center for Curatorial Leadership Fellow. From 2017-21, in addition to his role in the department, he served as Curator in Charge of the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art and now sits on the Advisory Committee. David holds a Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen.