Life Itself #4

About Life Itself #4

This is one of a series of colourful abstract expression paintings by Milly Ristvedt.

For more than six decades, Milly Ristvedt has explored the power of colour as a visual language in her uniquely singular voice. In this new series of works, she exhibits her talent as a master colourist whose fluid gestural form invites an intimate dialogue with the viewer. Here, generous vertical brushstrokes—curtains of colour dance across the canvas. The palette is an inspired mix of fresh, modern colours—purple, lime green, bright yellow, azure blue, deep green and cranberry red highlighted with pops of white. One of a series of five.

“The thing about abstract art is that it is not divorced from life but arises out of it.” Milly Ristvedt

“The dynamic tension between order and freedom is a constant in her work due primarily, she said, to ‘my interest…in the complexity of colour and its capacity to move us. “ Roald Nasgaard, Abstract Painting in Canada

Milly Ristvedt was born in British Columbia and studied at the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr University). Her first solo exhibit was at the Carmen Lamanna Gallery in Toronto. In the late 1960s, Ristvedt shared a studio with famed Canadian painter Jack Bush, met art critic Clement Greenberg and was inspired by American painters Jules Olitiski and Frank Stella. Her work has been included in many publications. She was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2004 and honoured with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
She has won seven Canada Council awards and two Ontario Arts Council awards, and has had over 50 solo exhibitions and been part of countless group shows. Ristvedt's work can be found in major public collections throughout North America, including the National Gallery of Canada.

Milly Ristvedt is represented exclusively by the Oeno Gallery.