Per HILLO
1957, Denmark
Per Hillo og Kunsten
”Maleren Per Hillo er noget af et fænomen”
Det er nogen, der kalder ham en fribytter, for hans energi og gå på mod er utroligt. Han går sine helt egne veje, ofte helt uden om de anerkendte kanaler i dansk kunstliv. Men det tør siges, at han har klaret sig flot: Store udsmykningsopgaver, bla. til et hotel i Dubai, et kæmpemaleri til Københavns Energis hovedsæde i den nye Ørestad, et maleri til et cover til minde CD’en med den nyligt afdøde Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen og senest seks store billedfriser samt en lang et stort antal malerier til Forstædernes Banks nye hovedsæde på Islands Brygge i København. Det er bare nogle af de senest eksempler fra hans a-typiske karriere.
Man kunne blive ved. For Per Hillos evne til at skabe kontakter er unik. Han tager aldrig et nej for et nej. For folk skal jo tage stilling til hans billeder. I hans verdensbillede er kunst ikke bare kunst, men går langt dybere: Det handler om kommunikation og handler om den måde vi er sammen på. ”Jeg vil gerne diskutere livskvalitet – og så kan vi altid diskutere kunst bagefter,” har han engang sagt. Som kunstner hører han til de ekspressive. Han udtrykker, hvad han føler. Selv kalder han selvbevidst sin stil for New Romantic – hvad mere end antyder, at det er det følelsesfulde, han går efter. Kunst skal røre sin modtager. Kunst skal involvere sin betragter.
Per Hillo indrømmer, at han er en vaskeægte romantiker og i hans malerier er det da også skønheden, der så at sige udpensles. Og han er bestemt ikke bange for at bruge farver, som andre ikke bruger helt så flittigt. Guld for eksempel. Man ser nemlig ofte guld farven i hans billeder. For Hillo er det egentlig ganske enkelt: ”Guld er smukt. Men det er også en symbolsk farve, der antyder værdi.”Allerede de gamle alkymister brugte guldet som symbol på det dyrebare og det værdifulde. Men guld var ikke bare et ædelt metal. Det var symbol på det spirituelle, på menneskets stræben efter højere indsigt.
Derfor er der en tydelig signalværdi i, at også Per Hillo bruger guld i sit maleri. For ham drejer det sig om at søge de åndelige værdier. Det handler desuden om at finde frem til en harmonisk vekselvirkning mellem menneske og kunst. Den destruktivitet, som findes i dele af nutidskunsten, er slet ikke hans ærinde. Han sætter en ære i at male smukke billeder, der taler til det bedste i tilskueren. Kunst har så mange roller i dagens samfund. Kunst underholder eller provokerer. Den er dekorativ eller dyrker det grimme. Ingen af disse dele abonnerer Per Hillo på. Han vil snarere pege på det drømmeagtige og det anelsesfulde med sine billeder. De skal nemlig ikke forklares, for man kan alt for let tale kunst ihjel. Man skal snarere sætte sig ned og meditere over billedets udstrækning. For ethvert billede er et udtryk for bevidsthed og fornemmelse.
Source: http://perhillo.dk
Per Hillo and the Art
”The artist Per Hillo is quite af phenomenon”
Some might characterize him as a freebooter due to his drive and incredible energy. He goes his own way, often round the recognized channels of Danish art. However, one thing is clearly to accentuate; he has done remarkable well. He has been commissioned comprehensive decorations and assignments, such as the decoration of a hotel in Dubei and a huge painting designed to the head office of Copenhagen Energy. Also he was asked to paint the cover to the CD in memory of the recently deceased Niels Henning Pedersen. Lately he has painted six big painting friezes added to a large numbers of paintings designed to the new head office of “Forstædernes Bank” (the Bank of Suburbs) located at Island Brygge in Copenhagen. These are just the latest examples of his non-typical career path.
One could easily keep going because Per Hillo´s ability to create an interest/establish contact is unique. He never takes no for an answer due to his opinion that one needs to take a stand in regards to his work. His way of viewing life, art isn´t just art but reaches far beyond. It all comes down to communication and the way we interact. He once said: “I would like to discuss the meaning of life quality – then later we can discuss art” As artist one must characterize him as expressionistic. He expresses his emotions. New Romantic is his own term to describe his genre, which more than indicates that he goes by the emotional. Art must touch its recipient. Art must involve the spectator
Per Hilo admits to be a true romantic and in his paintings one must admit that beauty is unnecessarily detailed. Also, he sure is not afraid to use colours which others no not use quite as frequently. Gold as an example. Gold is often used in his paintings, and to Hillo is really simple: ”Gold is beautiful, but also a symbolic colour which indicates value” Back in time, the alchemists used gold as a symbol of the precious and valuable. However, gold was more than a noble metal. It was a symbol of the spiritual, - on mankind’s striving towards deeper insight.
Based on those facts, Per Hillo clearly uses gold to signal value. To him it is all about seeking the spiritual values. Also it is about finding a harmonic interaction between man and art. Per Hillo has no desire to express that part of destructivity which is to be found in nowadays art. He makes it a point of honour to paint beautiful paintings which appeals to the best in the spectator. Art has so many rolls in nowadays society. Art either entertains or provokes. It is decorative or a devotee of the `ugly´. Hillo subscribes to neither of these. He is more likely to point out the dreamy and sensuously in his work. Based on that tact that these paintings cannot be explained. Often art is being talked to death. Rather one should take a moment to reflect on the paintings extent. To Per Hillo, each picture is an expression for consciousness and intuition.
Source: http://perhillo.dk