About
There are several versions of Tired Model Plane Builder. The colours, background, and objects vary, but the different versions all depict the same basic scene, where we peer into a simple, shallow room. A table stands in front of a window adorned with bright curtains and white frames; the window panes are black and impenetrable. The strict verticality and horizontality of the the room’s lines creates a contrast to the chaos on the tabletop, which has been flattened out like a still-life table by Cézanne. The frame is rough, and the colours are subdued.
Fragments of a model airplane are scattered throughout the table. Some of them have been decorated with a swastika. Instead of depicting an innocent pastime, namely the building of model aircraft, the scene takes on a greater complexity, with references to the Second World War, a topic that Rickhard has addressed on several occasions. The plane has virtually been dissected, along with the model plane builder, whose head also lies on the table, with a gaping mouth, eyes wide-open, and an electrical cord leading up towards the ceiling. What appears to be the body’s inner organs rest on the nearby stool. Is it the electrical current in the cord that has caused the mess on the table? Do the body parts belong to the construction set, or do they refer to the dismembered victims of war?
The room is grim and disharmonious, a picture of transitoriness. It refers to various genres known from art history: for example, the items on the table are arranged as a still-life, while the separated head refers to the symbolism of memento mori (“remember that you have to die”). The title is specific, while the content and form are complex. This is a hallmark of Rickhard’s paintings, which often feature machinery and fragments.
Rickhard, who has been called “the painter of stillness”, trained at the Academy of Craft and Art Industry and at the Academy of Fine Art in Oslo.
- Creation date:
- 1985
- Other titles:
- Trett modellflybygger I (NOR)
- Object type:
- Maleri
- Materials and techniques:
- Olje på lerret
- Material:
- Canvas
- Dimensions:
- Height: 180 cm
- Width: 150 cm
- Keywords:
- Bildende kunst
- Classification:
- 532 - Bildende kunst
- Inventory no.:
- MS-00319-1988
- Cataloguing level:
- Enkeltobjekt
- Acquisition:
- Overført fra Riksgalleriet 1988
- Owner and collection:
- Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
- Photo:
- Børre Høstland
- Copyright:
- © Rickhard, Leonard/<a href="https://www.bono.no/" target="_blank">BONO</a>
Nasjonalmuseet's collection catalogue is a living resource of information gathered since the 1830's. Some records may contain language or ideas that today could be perceived as outdated, offensive or discriminatory with regard to for instance gender, sexuality, ethnicity or disability, and that may be at odds with the museum's values regarding equality and diversity.
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Other works by Leonard Rickhard
Høstlig stemningLeonard Rickhard1975–1977- Fragmentarisk figur i sommersolLeonard RickhardAntagelig 1979
I dialog med stillheten, okerLeonard Rickhard1998
Landskaper fra en mørketid - sommernatt IVLeonard Rickhard1985
Fragmenter i solen IIILeonard Rickhard1987–1988
Sommermorgen - overblikkLeonard Rickhard1991 og 1997
Weary Model Plane Constructor ILeonard Rickhard1980,1999
Nattens ansikter - en studie i brunt og sortLeonard Rickhard1982–1983
Model Plane Constructors at NightLeonard Rickhard2021-2023
Landskapsmotiv I og II med figurasjoner mot høy himmelLeonard Rickhard(1982)–1983
Figurasjoner etter snefall IILeonard Rickhard1998
Morgen etter nattens snøfall IIILeonard Rickhard2008 - 2009



















