Letters of recommendation from Lindberg, Abel and Beskow

It is meet and proper among us in professions that lack public authorisation, that we hardly can gain professional trust in our activities, just by writing the title "artist" or "icon-painter" before our names; I therefore communicate the letters of recommendation which I normally send to prospective clients. Before this a few words about my referees.

Professor Bo Ossian Lindberg works at the Institute for Art History at Åbo Academy, in Finland. As an internationally recognised scholar on the image-world of the poet William Blake, he has more and more directed his research towards the materials and technique of art. In this field is he today recognised as the foremost authority in the Nordic countries on the painting-technology of the Italian art during Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Ph D. Ulf Abel has recently retired from his post as First Curator at the National Museum in Stockholm, but he is still responsible for our icon-collection there. As a spokesman for this unique collection of mainly Russian icons, he has done and is still doing, important cultural work, in favour of increased knowledge about and a deeper interest in this art form.

D. Theol. Ass. Prof. Per Beskow has also retired after many years of service at Lund University, but he is still the grand old man of patristic theology in our country. Through many meritorious editions and articles has he deepened and continues to deepen, our knowledge about the spirituality of the early Church and the Church Fathers.

Presentation of the icon-painter Lars Gerdmar

I hereby have the pleasure of introducing the icon-painter Lars Gerdmar, residing in Lund

I know Gerdmar since several years back as a very ambitious and seriously working icon-painter. 1976-1979 he took a course in icon-painting in Oskarshamn, with the Finnish icon-painter Erland Forsberg as teacher. Thereafter he got in contact with Leonid Ouspensky in Paris, who accepted him as a private pupil, although he had to cancel this due to illness. Instead Ouspensky a few years before his death recommended Gerdmar to his pupil Helena Nikkanen at the Centre for Restoration of Ecclesiastical Art, Uusi Valamo, in Finland.

Gerdmar spent the spring of 1985 studying in Uusi Valamo. Before that he had also studied history of art at the university in Lund, Sweden. In later years he has also worked part-time doing restoration, as assistant to the restorer Magnus Wihlborg at the foundation Skånehantverk, in Landskrona, Sweden.

Gerdmar's basic training as an icon-painter is solid and his knowledge of the history, theology and technique of icon-painting is deep. His artistic talent is great. In addition to this, he has good contacts both in Sweden and abroad with persons who are occupied with icon-art; this includes painters as well as restorers, scientists and people working in museums. A book on icon-painting which he has prepared exists as a manuscript almost ready to be printed. He has made several icons for private persons, for the churches in Nybro and Dagsberga and for the Benedictine nunnery Mariavall. His icons have been used for liturgical purpose in the Catholic Sankt Thomas av Aquino church, in Lund, Sweden and at Angelicum in Rome. He has made a large triptych for the altar in the Maria Magdalena church, Östra Torn, in Lund. It measures 210 by 330 centimetres, with the wings open. The middle section depicts Christ descending to the dead and the wings show scenes from the life of Jesus. The work was inaugurated in May 1994.

Gerdmar makes his icons with a sense of monumentality and a consideration to the demands of the room and the liturgy. He works in the classical Russian-Byzantine tradition, but he has also been influenced by a western, Latin tradition, with roots in the art of medieval Italy. His icons therefore suit well also in churches that are not Orthodox.

Åbo, June 10 1997

Prof. Bo Ossian Lindberg at The Institute for Art History, Åbo Academy, Finland

Translated by Rickard Svensson, July, 1997.

For more than ten years have I, as an art-historian, had icons and icon-painting as the central field in my research, based on the extensive icon-collection which has belonged to the National Museum since the thirties. The results of these studies have over the years been presented in printed form, at lectures and seminars at universities both within and outside of Sweden, as well as in other forms

On a great number of occasions over several years have I acquainted myself with both the icon-paintings of Lars Gerdmar and his theological-art-historical commentaries on these works. We have also met at the museum on several occasions and discussed these question, on the basis of the icon-collection.

It is my opinion that the paintings of Lars Gerdmar in a convincing way fit into the tradition of the art of icons and that his plans, both with regard to further education, realisation of major painting-projects and planning of exhibitions around icon-painting are worthy of support

Upplands Väsby December 19 1985

Ulf Abel Ph.D., First Curator State Art Museums/National Museum Responsible for the icon-collection of the museum

Translated by Rickard Svensson, July, 1997.

To whom it may concern

For fourteen years I have had the opportunity of following Lars Gerdmars development as an artist and expert of Byzantine art. I leave it up to others to judge his artistic ability, but I am prepared to endorse his knowledge and empathy concerning the imagery of early and medieval icon-painting and its underlying theological and philosophical tradition. While painting in the same Byzantine tradition, he has a notable ability to describe its corresponding world-view and anthropology. This ability also includes knowledge of Biblical tradition as used in Early Christian and Byzantine literature.

Over the years, I have seen his knowledge and understanding of his subject being constantly deepened, and his knowledge of the relationship between theology and art has considerably increased. He has also greatly developed his practicle skill in the various techniques of painting and conservation. I do hope that he will be given the opportunity of presenting such a synthesis of word and image on a larger scale.

Lund, 2 July, 1995

Per Beskow,
Dr, Former lecturer in Church History
at the University of Lund

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