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Writer's pictureMonica Blignaut
Apr 17, 20212 min read

Henrik Aa. Uldalen

Artist 305

Henrik Aa. Uldalen

Surrealism

Oil Painting



Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen (Born 1986) is a South Korean born Norwegian oil painter. He was raised in Asker Norway.



A self-taught artist his creative production revolves around classic figurative painting, presented in a contemporary manner.







Henrik explores the dark sides of life including the themes of nihilism, existentialism, longing and loneliness. He juxtaposes these themes with fragile beauty in his paintings.








Uldalen views his work as representations of himself and his state of mind. When he sets up the painting he tries to get the model to evoke the same emotions that he is going through at the moment. His works serve as a diary that records his different states of being from different moments in time.









Though a figurative painter, his focus has always been the emotional content rather than narratives. The atmospheres in his work is often presented in a dream or limbo-like state, with elements of surrealism.









His paintings beginning with a model used for reference as he incorporates classic figurative painting techniques in oil. He then places these figures in atmospheric dreamlike states creating a surrealistic painting.










“I have always thought of myself as a expressionist painter trapped in the body of a neoclassicist painter. In one moment I love splashing paint around the walls of my studio, the other moment I feel like painting an eye for five hours straight. Naturally I’ve found a middle ground where I get to work with both sides of me.” - Henrik Uldalen









His paintings hold a hypnotizing and bewitching quality. The tangible yet ethereal nature of his brush strokes elevates his work. The shift between the realistic forms and their abstraction captures raw human emotion.








“My work has always been a product of an existentialism that I’ve been struggling with since I was a young boy. I have gone through most of my life feeling lonely, afraid and confused, but since starting painting and completely submerging myself in these thoughts full time, I have somehow found a way to work through it. In fear of sounding like a cliche, it’s been alike the process as a therapy for me. It’s painful, but I need to talk about the issues in order for me to rid myself of them. The paintings are in many ways a by-product of these therapy sessions. I’m afraid of how my life would be if I wouldn’t be painting.”- Henrik Uldalen










Sources consulted:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_Aarrestad_Uldalen

https://www.forbes.com/sites/felicitycarter/2018/11/10/the-dark-arts-of-henrik-uldalen/amp/

https://www.henrikaau.com/

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