International conference: Why is painting of interest today?

There is something about the medium of painting, something that ensures its survival even in an age when artists can find expression without commitment to any one particular medium. This is despite painting having lost much of its original function, including as a means of portrayal - of places, periods, people and events.

Why is painting still relevant today? Why do so many artists and members of the public remain faithful to the genre? As part of the conference An Appetite for Painting, practicing artists and art historians have been invited to come together and discuss the future and the history of painting. As Gavin Jantjes, conference organiser and curator for the National Museum, comments:

“Painting asks for something you do not give up easily. It asks for your precious time.”

With names such asGlenn Barkley, Marlene Dumas, Gavin Jantjes, Jittish Kallat, Olav Christopher Jenssen, Analia Saban and Mari Slaattelid taking part, the scene is set for a vibrant, vital debate.

For instance, can the visual discursiveness embodied in painting show the way out of a conceptual, text-based postmodernity? What does painting communicate about the age we live in that other media does not do? Is painting as a historical medium gradually losing its autonomy as it becomes integrated into other forms of artistic practice? Or will this be the very thing that can pave the way towards a pioneering new imagery?  What about market forces? If the market alone is not to determine which paintings warrant our attention, what should be the strategies of art institutions?

Postmodern theory casts shadows of doubt over painting. Artists with an appetite for painting confront this doubt with visual fantasy through experimentation with colour, materiality, scale and much else besides. They are not afraid of the sublime:

“I would like to find some ways to make judgment calls about painting outside of a market model, to be able to see some distinctions that relate to criticality, subject precision, relevance and consequence.”   Hanneline Rogerberg, To Skin A Cat essay for Paradox Painting conference Oslo 2012

Practical information about the conference:Participation in the conference costs NOK 800 (NOK 500 for students), which includes lunch, conference compendium and reception at the ‘Munch 150’ exhibition at the National Gallery on 19 September. The entire seminar will be in English. A detailed conference programme and registration form for participants can be found  here.

Contact information:
Marthe Tveitan, project manager, marthe.tveitan@nasjonalmuseet.no, tel.: +47 97 08 36 86.
Eva Engeset, press contact, eva.engeset@nasjonalmuseet.no, tel.: +47 46 95 01 02.