The artwork of Karl Persson is terrifyingly realistic, yet imaginative. The figures of his paintings seem to have a life and world of their own, where they disregard society’s norms and because of that they are radiant.The images could be described as horrific, yet the impact of those appalling images makes a statement. I find the artwork causes a reaction and provokes thought, which all great paintings tend to do.
“My intellect doesn’t come into play when I am channeling something subconsciously. There is plenty of time for interpretation after a painting is finished. Whenever I look at my finished paintings it is like analysing a dream – deciphering my personal symbolic language. Although there is obviously some calculated thought behind things like compositional aesthetics, I still try to keep these decisions relatively instinctive. I find this approach far more fulfilling than when I have injected some preconceived concept into an image, which has often consequently become either stale or too obvious.” Karl Persson
