| ARTIST BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Chris Flodberg is an accomplished painter whose earlier style in realism recalled the grand staging, detail, light (chiaroscuro) and lushness of 17th century Dutch painting. His subject matter though was hardly nostalgic; taking instead an unsettling look at contemporary society: its decadent consumerism (i.e. still life of banquet tables) and urban landscapes in decay. Other subjects from this period included perilous mountain tops, large World War Two warships, floral still life, stormy skyscapes, stunning portraits of purebred watch dogs, Alberta landscapes and so on. More recently the artist has stepped firmly into the territory of modernist portraiture (Automythology) and luscious abstracts reminiscent of earlier Quebec abstraction: Riopelle and Borduas.
With two parents as artists and instructors (Lorraine and Gilbert Flodberg), Chris’s practice began in high school in the mid-1990s with landscapes in acrylic and oil. After high school, Flodberg immediately commenced his formal training with two years at University of Calgary (1994-96), followed by a transfer to Alberta College of Art + Design where he graduated with a BFA (1998) in painting. Mentors included Stan Perrott (ACAD) and John Hall (U of C). In 2000, at the University of Alberta, he completed an MFA and followed up with his first solo exhibition at Edmonton Art Gallery (now Art Gallery of Alberta) featuring large landscapes. Other exhibitions in public institutions included selection for the Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art (2007) and solo presentations at Art Gallery of Calgary (2008), Military Museums (2014, Calgary AB) and a 2016 survey of his painting (1990-2014) at Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies (Banff AB.). A book, Chris Flodberg: Paintings was published by Douglas & McIntyre (Vancouver, 2016) |