"Mona Liza"

The Abstract paintings of Tommie Olofsson are reminiscent of early or Analytical Cubism and Surrealism as they either fragment the image into multiple areas like a kaleidoscope or force subtle contradictions within the viewers sense of the familiar. The paintings are composed with sophistication and poise causing the viewer to study them as if to achieve some truer sense of the subject than if it were realistically brought forth from the picture plane.

Tommie Olofsson's Collection of oil paintings shows a skill and familiarity with the concepts and applications of Cubism, particularly the earlier phase known as "Analytical", before the inception of foreign or found objects and variant color that came later in the "Synthetic" phase of Cubism's growth.

In Cubism, the imagined multiple perspectives of the elements in the picture plane appeal to the visual center of the viewer, producing a more enhanced experience due to the overstimulating effect of multiple frames of reference.

The painting depicts a visual paradox as the two forms central in the piece appear to be morphing around one another as though malleable even though the material they seem to be composed of is, to the eye, hard, brittle and stone-like in appearance. Framed by corners of color and texture, will these two elements become separate or if so, would they shatter before the viewer? This slow moving sensory contradiction is the essence of Lovers.

In this piece there is an evident influence of Cubism which explains the multiple viewpoints of this city-scape. The premise of Cubism's multiple viewpoints simultaneously is exemplified with skill and discretion in this painting. The geometry of the architecture enhances the prismatic feel of the piece with the windows and pathways inherent to the architecture creating points of entry and depth into the picture plane.

In the center of the picture plane we see the head of a bull treated with a coloration and angularity reminiscent of the primitive handling used in the earliest Cubist pieces. The perspective of the fence which recedes into the surface of the painting only further brings our attention to the face of the bull who appears to be intently studying the viewer, mirroring the viewer's observation.

The candle that rests in a holder near the corner of the table illuminates an architectural mosaic behind the table. The fragmented city-scape seems to merge with the candlelight suggesting a progression into memory or meditation ignited by the reflected candlelight on the wall of the environment.

This piece offers fragments of staircases, string instruments, architecture and window panes in an ordered arrangement based on Cubist theory that in practice, abolishes perspective and places the viewer in multiple frames of reference at once!

The fragmented four-piece musical arrangement appears to play their compositions under a swollen moon in the height of evening. This exemplimentary piece skillfully illustrates the Cubist technique and understanding.