Professor Gunnar Danbolt (Art History Department, University of Bergen) excerpt of his tour of Erik S. Alvaers` exhibition in Bergen Art Society in 1989:
Erik Alvær and chalk painting
Erik Alvær has clearly reached on such short drawing into a situation - and he knows how he will characterize people with job motives and movements, and whether decent women at a table or naked women lying on wide beds. From time to the erotic overtones are fairly obvious, and almost extradite. Although as often is the everyday scenes - a man in a chair, a woman in activity at a table, several people in a confined space, a self at the easel.
So far, so good! But how should we put Erik Alvær purely art historical? It is not easy - but not impossible. The easiest course is to say that he is a single voice in the diverse chorus that make up the 80-years Norwegian painting. But it is not entirely satisfactory, in at least not for an incorrigible art historian. Sål me therefore make an effort. In the post-war art operates Monday with a concept as lyrical abstraction. The ill for Alvær, for he is figurative, not abstract. But he is lyrical. For pastel painting is, as mentioned, a genre insights on the mood moment, and so has clear parallels to lyrikken. And quite particularly in Alva case because it is intimate sphere that make up his motive circuit - the closest thing and the everyday moments; the little erotic joy - a full peace bed rent - one embraced and a Favntak. So perhaps we can call this a lyrical figurasjon.
We see his motifs in a slightly larger societal perspective, the circuits on it as a social anthropologist Marianne Gullestad has called "home with its peace and quiet". And peace and quiet back home walls are undoubtedly as a value that is highly rated in Northern Europe of the 80s. Regardless of broken marriages are the values Norwegians have set higher than this. The home has replaced the church and nightlife as the arena where real life is played. It is this axis hikes of the intimate sphere with its peace, quiet and small erotic tensions behind home safe walls that characterize Erik Alva paintings. And that is thrown new light on style and technique. For pastel technique has signaled that it set up here, not clean scenes, but immediate and instant nedtegninger of what actually happens in the intimate sphere and style, a mixture of impresjonismens immediate realism and expressionism to express willingness to use emotions and feelings, tell us that this not only are records of what actually happened, but just as much an expression of the moods and emotions that turns to live with the artist. Thus it is the paintings that should be of interest to many, for it is not us he images - in the many ubevoktede moment? "
Gunnar Danbolt
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