Anna-Eva Bergman’s painting technique
It has often been said that Bergman painted with gold and silver, but is that really true?
Text by Ida Antonia Tank Bronken
Translated by Peter Cripps
In her studio in Antibes in the south of France, Anna-Eva Bergman (1909–1987) left behind a quantity of paint tins, materials and tools, which, together with her notes, letters and photographs, have been preserved by the Hartung-Bergman Foundation. This artistic estate is a major resource for our understanding of Bergman’s painting technique. Bergman has often been described as an artist who painted with gold and silver, but is that true? In connection with the National Museum’s exhibition “Becoming Anna-Eva Bergman”, we have analysed Bergman’s use of metals. The results provide new knowledge about her paintings.
The National Museum’s collection holds more than 270 works by Anna-Eva Bergman, of which fourteen are paintings on canvas, wooden board or paper. Bergman was one of the few Norwegian artists to forge a truly internationally reputation in the 1950s and 60s. Major exhibitions that featured her work include Documenta II in Kassel 1959 and the São Paulo Biennial in 1969.
Bergman drew inspiration on several levels from ecclesiastical art, particularly in her use of metal leaf. In addition, she developed her abstractions based on classic theories about the golden ratio. Other influences from the past that informed her work when painting with metal include archaeology and Goethe’s theory of colours.
Small words – big meaning
“Glacier and Waterfall – Northern Lights and Starlight. Monumental Paintings in Gold and Silver and Earthy Tones”, “Gold Leaf on an Artist’s Destiny”, “Gold and Silver at the Art Association”, and “Arctic Light in Shimmering Gold and Silver from Antibes!” These are just a few of the headlines from newspaper reviews of Anna-Eva Bergman’s exhibitions here in Norway.