Analysis of Ingeborg Mohr
“What makes her paintings so successful is their frank beauty and the balance they reveal between spontaneity and control" Sol Littman, Toronto Star ,May 1979
“Intellectually, Mohr conceives of abstraction as a higher order of reality. A critic, however, sensing the pain of her wartime memories, might add that for Mohr , abstraction is also an escape from dealing with a more brutal reality. “ Sol Littman, Toronto Star, May 1979
“ That arbitrary bond between the artist and painting still challenges Mohr, and there is a mysticism to many of her paintings. It is found in the mystery of white reaches of paint and in the dark that constantly pushes through from who knows what depths”
“In forsaking the object as early as 1960, She has concentrated her search on an inner reality.” Kay Kritzwiser, The Globe and Mail Oct 1984
“Unlike much contemporary painting, Mohr’s medium scale works rejoice in their personal vision : the presence of the artist is felt in each brushstroke, but there is no attempt to call undue attention to this subjectivity. This Frankness comes as a relief to viewers accustomed to the most apologetic tone taken by contemporary artists. In stead of painting about ideology … Mohr paints about painting.”
“Such a privileging of the artist’s act may seem a little old fashioned … but it allows for a much less complicated and more pleasurable relationship between the art and the viewer. The painting communicates in visual terms only: the viewer judges and enjoys it on those terms.”
“In many paintings, jagged patches of bright red orange emerge from neutral backgrounds. These “notes” of colour take on the aspect of moments of lucidity or consciousness, beams of light breaking through a mass of dark cloud. The worked, layered quality of the oil paint and pastel, indicating the hand of the artist manipulating the viscous material, adds to the evocation of a transitory moment of vision in the paintings. Lisa Moore , The Whig Standard “Frankly Rejoicing” 1986
“She admits that she is looking for a spiritual presence in her work, which means working through dark colours to find the light.“ Shawn Thompson, The Reporter , “Learning to see Mohr in abstract art” April 1986
“Art is matter animated by spirit; without the alchemy that takes place between the artist and his or her materials, there is no art. Mohr’s explorations begin at this intersection. “
“She is such an accomplished artist that she makes each painting look as if it sprang into being completely resolved, and it’s easy to miss the sophisticated balancing act she pulls off.”
“These paintings can serve as maps that describe the difficult and often ambiguous landscape of life. Some of the pieces have a lyrical beauty , in others the beauty is more harsh. They are nt easy works, although several are wonderfully seductive. Like life, they contain contradictory elements , like life they gain energy from the interplay of these opposing forces. These works point towards the unknown, and make the journey there seem both challenging and necessary.” Melanie Dugan , The Kingston Whig Standard, ‘Of Matter and Spirit”, Mar 2000
According to a guest curator Dr Maria Tippet, “Ingeborg Mohr is one of Canada’s greatest artists. She doesn’t paint for communication but paints to explore herself. Kerrie Charnley, Arts and Review in the Peak , “A True Artist” Jan 1983
“The quest for meaning and the struggle necessary to achieve something vital in her art has always motivated Mohr. Her reward is in the doing and in the rare satisfaction – for she is not easily satisfied with her work – of having come closer to realizing the unknown.” Dr Maria Tippett, Ingeborg Mohr Works on Paper, 1983
“Comfortably ensconced in the relative obscurity of Howe Island, Ingeborg Mohr continues to portray the abstract form . Her evolving strokes of light , shade, and perspective create indeed a finished product that is truly beautiful. To study her canvasses, however briefly, is to never again look at colours and shapes in quite the same way” Carlene Bryant, 1000 Islander, “The Art of Ingeborg Mohr”, July 1991
“Mohr, however, is not content with merely capturing immediacy in paint. Having mastered the bravura stroke and the shorthand of motion, she pushes further, incorporating so many layers of colour and detail into her work that the pieces are at once complex, satisfying and allusive”
“She is such an accomplished artist that she makes each painting look as if it sprang into being completely resolved, and it’s easy to miss the sophisticated balancing act she pulls off.” Melanie Duggan, Artspaces, The Kingston Whig Standard March 2000
“Intellectually, Mohr conceives of abstraction as a higher order of reality. A critic, however, sensing the pain of her wartime memories, might add that for Mohr , abstraction is also an escape from dealing with a more brutal reality. “ Sol Littman, Toronto Star, May 1979
“ That arbitrary bond between the artist and painting still challenges Mohr, and there is a mysticism to many of her paintings. It is found in the mystery of white reaches of paint and in the dark that constantly pushes through from who knows what depths”
“In forsaking the object as early as 1960, She has concentrated her search on an inner reality.” Kay Kritzwiser, The Globe and Mail Oct 1984
“Unlike much contemporary painting, Mohr’s medium scale works rejoice in their personal vision : the presence of the artist is felt in each brushstroke, but there is no attempt to call undue attention to this subjectivity. This Frankness comes as a relief to viewers accustomed to the most apologetic tone taken by contemporary artists. In stead of painting about ideology … Mohr paints about painting.”
“Such a privileging of the artist’s act may seem a little old fashioned … but it allows for a much less complicated and more pleasurable relationship between the art and the viewer. The painting communicates in visual terms only: the viewer judges and enjoys it on those terms.”
“In many paintings, jagged patches of bright red orange emerge from neutral backgrounds. These “notes” of colour take on the aspect of moments of lucidity or consciousness, beams of light breaking through a mass of dark cloud. The worked, layered quality of the oil paint and pastel, indicating the hand of the artist manipulating the viscous material, adds to the evocation of a transitory moment of vision in the paintings. Lisa Moore , The Whig Standard “Frankly Rejoicing” 1986
“She admits that she is looking for a spiritual presence in her work, which means working through dark colours to find the light.“ Shawn Thompson, The Reporter , “Learning to see Mohr in abstract art” April 1986
“Art is matter animated by spirit; without the alchemy that takes place between the artist and his or her materials, there is no art. Mohr’s explorations begin at this intersection. “
“She is such an accomplished artist that she makes each painting look as if it sprang into being completely resolved, and it’s easy to miss the sophisticated balancing act she pulls off.”
“These paintings can serve as maps that describe the difficult and often ambiguous landscape of life. Some of the pieces have a lyrical beauty , in others the beauty is more harsh. They are nt easy works, although several are wonderfully seductive. Like life, they contain contradictory elements , like life they gain energy from the interplay of these opposing forces. These works point towards the unknown, and make the journey there seem both challenging and necessary.” Melanie Dugan , The Kingston Whig Standard, ‘Of Matter and Spirit”, Mar 2000
According to a guest curator Dr Maria Tippet, “Ingeborg Mohr is one of Canada’s greatest artists. She doesn’t paint for communication but paints to explore herself. Kerrie Charnley, Arts and Review in the Peak , “A True Artist” Jan 1983
“The quest for meaning and the struggle necessary to achieve something vital in her art has always motivated Mohr. Her reward is in the doing and in the rare satisfaction – for she is not easily satisfied with her work – of having come closer to realizing the unknown.” Dr Maria Tippett, Ingeborg Mohr Works on Paper, 1983
“Comfortably ensconced in the relative obscurity of Howe Island, Ingeborg Mohr continues to portray the abstract form . Her evolving strokes of light , shade, and perspective create indeed a finished product that is truly beautiful. To study her canvasses, however briefly, is to never again look at colours and shapes in quite the same way” Carlene Bryant, 1000 Islander, “The Art of Ingeborg Mohr”, July 1991
“Mohr, however, is not content with merely capturing immediacy in paint. Having mastered the bravura stroke and the shorthand of motion, she pushes further, incorporating so many layers of colour and detail into her work that the pieces are at once complex, satisfying and allusive”
“She is such an accomplished artist that she makes each painting look as if it sprang into being completely resolved, and it’s easy to miss the sophisticated balancing act she pulls off.” Melanie Duggan, Artspaces, The Kingston Whig Standard March 2000