Anders Knutsson

Since Anders Knutsson moved to Brooklyn in 1990, he has been known for his depictions of landmark or endangered trees, in large-scale acrylic paintings on linen, pencil drawings, and print portraits. For his ongoing “Luminous Series” (1980-), Knutsson has rendered trees, figures, and abstracted landscapes in glowing pigments. Most works adhere to a more realist style, however, showcasing the thick trunks and winding branches of “champion” trees, so-called by foresters for weathering time and the elements. “Why do I paint trees? It happened more or less spontaneously, working from intuition and hunches, then much later putting my left and right brain functions together to focus deeper,“ he explains. Earlier in his career, a fascination of with Minimalism prompted Knutsson to paint monochromes.