Gustav Hjelmgren

b. Sweden, 1979

Gustav Hjelmgren paints soft concentric rings of color inspired by nature, evoking expanding ripples in water or the auratic glow of stars. His hypnotic compositions emanate from a central point and are symbolic of unity and presence. Growing up in a family of painters—his great great grandfather was the renowned Swedish painter Richard Bergh and his grandmother painted her entire life—art-making has always been central to his experience. Hjelmgren cites as inspiration the expressive treatment of color by early Abstract Expressionists Willem De Kooning, Mark Rothko, and Joan Mitchell, as well as the work of Gerard Richter, which influences his use of a squeegee to layer oil paint. Hjelmgren graduated in 2003 from Linköping University. His work has been reviewed by Jerry Saltz.