Ivan Ivarson, born July 20, 1900 on Stampgatan in Gothenburg, died June 26th [1] 1939 in Paris, was a Swedish artist.

Ivarsson is counted as one of the Gothenburg collegists. He was a member of the Color and Form group, Stockholm. He studied at Valands Painting School in Gothenburg 1922-1925, under Tor Bjurström, and lived at this time in the family villa in Hagen in Långedrag.

During study trips in France and Italy in 1927-1928, he was inspired by Pierre Bonnard's painting. In 1929 he moved to Helsingør and painted in Carl Kylberg's studio. From 1930 he was active in mainly Gothenburg and Bohuslän and in the coming period his characteristic painting is shaped. He's enthusiasm for colors can be summed up with the alleged quote "I would like to eat color".

The artistry can be called naive expressionist where the motives were mainly landscape, ports and especially flowers. He participated in many exhibitions, but was never widely recognized during his lifetime more than in smaller groups. Ivarson is commonly referred to as one of our premier colourists.

Ivan Ivarson's large exhibition catalog 1975 contained 147 works, of which 82 were oil paintings, 59 were drawings and watercolors and 6 were graphic productions. An art exhibition of 60's was carried out at the Gothenburg Art Museum during the fall and winter 2010-2011.

Ivarson was affected by depressions and developed alcoholism, where posters were sometimes exchanged for alcohol. However, there were happy periods, especially a painting period in 1935, in isolation with a son and wife on Stenungsön, outside Stenungsund. He lived his last years in France. Ivarson is represented at, among others, Gothenburg Art Museum and National Museum.
His parents were packmasters (former monthly writer) Ivar Johansson and Hulda Johansson, born Jonsson. Ivarson married in February 1928 in Paris with the sculptor Märta Taube, and they shared the son Per in August that same year.

Source:"Ivan Ivarson," Wikipedia, Google Translate, 2018

Ivan Ivarson's artistry is characterized by a particularly intense color use that, regardless of the subject matter, has been associated with his paintings. Despite his too short lifetime, his name is firmly anchored on the Swedish artist sky, perhaps primarily as one of the Gothenburg collegists. During the years around 1930, which was perhaps one of his happiest periods, Ivarson spent the summer at Stenungsön five miles north of Gothenburg.

In a borrowed summer house, located on the southern part of the island, his painting could be developed undisturbed. Nature served as an inspiration source, and among the motives of this time it is usually a dominant feature. In essence, the family, the wife and the son featured the paintings - embedded in greenery or with the sea as a fund.Ivarson often let the people in their paintings play a subordinate role in the surroundings, which the painting Bron is an excellent example of.

The women of the bridge have been embedded in the summer rainbow and the main motif is rather the landscape around them. In a stark color, Ivarson in the painting conveys the joyful atmosphere and harmony that occasionally characterized his life in the short period of 1930.