Lars Tiller
Lars Tiller (1924 to 1994) was a Norwegian painter, draughtsman and printmaker from Trondheim. He studied with Jean Heiberg in Oslo and Fernand Léger in Paris. In 1954 he began teaching at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, NTH.
Figurative beginnings and geometric abstraction
Trondheim Cathedral School owns Invitasjon til reise (II) (1953), an oil painting on canvas purchased that year. It follows a series of 1949 with human figures in a geometrically simplified landscape. The work shows that his simplification of space and forms began before his more fully abstract approach.
His work became more nonfigurative in the late 1950s. Kunst på Arbeidsplassen dates the transition to 1957 and emphasises composition and pictorial structures. The collection text also notes a connection with natural subjects. That relationship requires consideration of individual works; the term abstract alone cannot settle it.
Displaced and overlapping planes could create depth, with thin glazes contrasting with thicker paint. Tiller used PVA paint and experimented with collage and sawdust. From the mid-1960s, the square gained particular importance. In Blå utsikt (1966), running colour interrupts the geometry. Materials and surface are both essential to the expression.
Gruppe 5 and documented works
Tiller belonged to Gruppe 5 with Håkon Bleken, Halvdan Ljøsne, Roar Wold and Ramon Isern. The group existed from 1961 to 1970, and its members were associated with NTH's architecture department. Trondheim Art Museum holds Hvit, grå, svart (1960). The National Museum's collection includes Utsikt (1963) and Blå utsikt (1966). These works offer specific points of comparison for the geometric aspect of his production.
Distinguishing painting, drawing and prints
Tiller's work in charcoal, painting and printmaking makes identification of the medium important when buying or assessing a work. Do not describe a signed sheet as a lithograph or screenprint without documentation for that particular sheet. Examine the paper, printed area, margins, dimensions and any numbering. In a painting, distinguish characteristics of the materials from later damage or repairs. Old receipts, exhibition labels and information about previous owners may help establish a work's history. A signature or geometric style alone does not establish authorship.
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