Werner Janson artwork

Werner Janson artwork, ‘Repulsion’, 1972. A large horizontal abstract relief executed in mixed media on panel, measuring 125.5 x 79.5 x 6.5 cm (49.4 x 31.3 x 2.6 inches). The work is signed on the reverse and retains an identification label bearing the artist’s name and the title Repulsion. Provenance is from the artist’s estate.

The composition is executed almost entirely in white and warm off-white tones and consists of two raised geometric formations positioned asymmetrically across a rectangular field. The larger form occupies the left half of the composition, while a considerably smaller related form appears to the right. Both are constructed from successively nested, elongated oval or lens-shaped elements. Their pointed upper and lower extremities contrast with the otherwise continuous curvature of the forms, creating a geometry that combines concentric circles, ellipses and almond-shaped outlines.

The relief is constructed through repeated thin projecting elements attached perpendicular or near-perpendicular to the flat support. Each successive element changes incrementally in scale, producing a closely spaced sequence that appears to expand outward from a central point. This serial construction establishes both actual depth and an optical impression of vibration or movement. The approximately 6.5 cm (2.6 inch) overall depth is an integral component of the composition, since the projecting structures produce changing shadows according to the direction and intensity of the surrounding light.

The two forms share essentially the same construction but differ markedly in scale. This unequal relationship creates a deliberate spatial tension across the otherwise largely empty field. Their concentric organization suggests expansion and contraction simultaneously, while their separation introduces an additional sense of opposing forces. In relation to the title Repulsion, the physical distance between the two independent forms can be understood as part of the work’s visual structure, although the title does not prescribe a single interpretation.

Werner Janson studied at Otte Sköld’s School of Painting and at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm and subsequently undertook several study trips, including to France. Exposure to different artistic environments contributed to the development of his work away from conventional representation and toward an increasingly experimental visual language. By the period in which Repulsion was made, material, repetition, geometry and the interaction between physical structure and light had become significant means of constructing an image.

Dated 1972, the work belongs to a period when relief, serial structures and optical effects formed an important part of postwar European abstraction. Rather than functioning strictly as a painting or sculpture, Repulsion occupies an intermediate position: its rectangular support retains the conventions of a wall-mounted picture, while its projecting components extend physically into the viewer’s space. The systematic repetition of closely related elements connects the work with constructive and geometric abstraction, while the visual instability generated by changing viewpoints has affinities with the perceptual investigations characteristic of kinetic and optical art.

The monochromatic treatment is central to this effect. Color is deliberately subordinated to form, depth and illumination. Variations between white, ivory and pale grey are primarily produced by the relief itself, with recessed areas becoming darker and projecting edges catching the light. From a frontal position the two structures read as controlled graphic patterns; from an oblique angle their construction becomes more sculptural and the intervals between the individual elements become increasingly visible.

The work is in good vintage condition overall, with minor surface marks, slight tonal variation and localized wear consistent with age and the exposed construction of the relief. Small irregularities are visible along some of the thin projecting elements and around the frame or perimeter. These do not substantially interrupt the overall geometric structure. The reverse retains a brown textured backing and an old identification label inscribed “Werner Janson” and “Repulsion”.