Published to accompany an exhibition of the same title, this finely printed volume reproduces a selection of the artists sensitive pastel works focussing on the motif of swans on a lake. With its stark white plumage this creature is perhaps a natural subject for a minimalist eye like Gustafsons. Graceful, long-necked birds glide over satin surfaces that retain the color only of reflection. In some pieces the dialogue is merely between darkness and light. Beautifully graded impressions depict images as they appear in finished works alongside mirror-imaged, lightened ghost reflections of both birds and landscapes. Themes of unity and duality, reality and perception in the original works, are subtly enhanced in this exquisitely designed publication.

Swan

Mats Gustafson

JMC & GHB Editions

<p>"The fragility of Mats Gustafson's art is almost tangible," Berndt Arell writes. "Landscapes, portraits pervaded with eroticism, and fashion illustrations – Gustafson's brush is adept at them all." Mats Gustafson, Watercolors is the first overview publication to date on one of the most admired illustration artists of our time. Known for his subtle and haunting fashion illustrations, intimate portraits, and scenes of nature, Gustafson began his career as an illustrator in the late 1970s, at a time when editorial illustration was eclipsed by photography and watercolor as a conceptual medium had barely been explored. The elegant and expressive character of Gustafson's watercolor, pastel and cut-out paperworks expanded the possibilities of fashion illustration and nearly single-handedly reinvigorated the genre. Published to coincide with a major retrospective exhibition of Gustafson's work at the Millesgarden in Stockholm in 2013, the volume includes texts from Stockholm's Nationalmuseum director Berndt Arell and former Interview editor-in-chief and art critic Glenn O'Brien.</p>

Mats Gustafson: Watercolors

Arts & Photography

Individual Artists

Ram Publications

Mats Gustafson: Deer

Mats Gustafson (Swedish, b. 1951) began his career as an illustrator in the late 1970s, a time when editorial illustration was eclipsed by photography, and watercolor as a conceptual medium had barely been explored. A graduate of Dramatiska Institutet (University College of Film, Radio, Television and Theatre) in Stockholm, he first applied his graphic sensibility to the art of stage design. This experience translated into illustration when he began publishing his work in eminent international fashion publications.

Mats Gustafson 1989-2001

Nordiska Akvarellmuseet

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Books by Mats Gustafson