Zacharias Heinesen

Eystara vág, the east bay of Tórshavn. Postage stamp from 1987

Zacharias Karl Ulrik Heinesen (born June 19, 1936 in Tórshavn , Faroe Islands ) is a contemporary Faroese painter . He is a son of William Heinesen .

Life

Zacharias Heinesen is considered a central figure in Faroese painting. Since completing his studies at the art academies in Reykjavík (1958–59) and Copenhagen (1959–62), he has lived in the Faroese capital Tórshavn. From his studio, which is high on a hill, has a wide view of the city and harbor. This grandiose view has a central position in the painter's world of motifs.

"Úr Vágum" (from Vágar) 2000. Postage stamp from 2001

In his landscape paintings, Zacharias Heinesen concentrates on the expressiveness and intense strength of color and on the vibrant life of the surface. In his choice of motifs, he has been focusing in particular on the topic of “localities by the sea” for several years. The gables, facades and roofs of the houses form a pattern of surfaces that also includes the many small parcels of land that surround the place. The surface composition continues in the faceted structure of the mountains and the amorphous figures of the cloud formations. Vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines indicate the outlines of the houses, field borders, stone walls, hedges and the contours of the landscape. At the same time, they mark the cubist rhythm and movement of the image. The color scheme is characterized by a blue-green register, which contrasts with red and yellow nuances as well as golden hints of ocher tones.

The paintings are sometimes quite abstract, but the painter does not want to lose the connection to the motif - in compositions of large and small square areas of color, color sounds and temperature are separated by the border of a horizon, and with the help of short, striking lines the idea of ​​a landscape or a landscape is created Reinforced cityscape. Landscape watercolors as well as pastoral woodcuts and linocuts have an artistic lightness and their own ethereal grace. In decorative works, such as book illustrations, people walk in silent delight in Arcadian landscapes between birds of paradise and fairytale animals and plants.

Vestara Vág (west bay of the capital Tórshavn / Faroe Islands)

Zacharias Heinesen designed the back of the new Faroese banknotes . The underlying watercolors were painted especially for this purpose. The motives are:

• 50 kroner note: Sumba on Suðuroy , 2001
• 100 kroner note: Klaksvík , January 16, 2003
• 200 kroner note: Tindhólmur in front of Vágar , January 19, 2004
• 500 kroner note: Hvannasund on Viðoy , November 30, 2004
• 1,000 kroner note: Sandoy 2005

The altarpiece of the Danish Church (Dansk Kirke) in Husum , North Frisia, is also by him, as is part of the decoration of the Faroese ferry Norröna .

See also: Faroese art

Web links

• Art.fo - Faroe Islands Art Museum (English, Danish, Faroese)
• Faroeartstamps.fo - art on Faroese postage stamps (including in German - basis for this article)
• Nationalbanken.dk - New Faroese banknotes (English, with PDF download)