Rune V. Cappelen Strømsted (July 29, 1958 – July 4, 2023) was a Norwegian visual artist. He was born in Kalvøysund, Arendal and spent most of his adult life in Vestfold, working as an artist and teacher. He studied at Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole (SHKS) and Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHIO). During his artistic career, he moved from a type of impressionistic nature poetry via a quiet and contemplative abstract expressionisms (inspired by, among others, Mark Rothko and Johs Ryan) and back to the figurative again. Although he explored the painterly qualities of light, color, form, space, and composition, the communication of the nature experience and the expression itself was essential. In his later period, he also got more and more pleasure from exploring and perfecting techniques and execution (in a contemplative process). Nature was always the main focus. It was a conscious choice to create an analog and tactile counterbalance to the massive digital impressions we are exposed to daily. He was always fascinated by the ‘mood painting’ from around the turn of the last century with painters such as Kitty Kielland, Anna Ancher, and EIlif Peterssen – ‘Jæren painters’ and ‘Skagen painters.’ The geographical aspects were important in his approach, through the terms landforms, place, and ecology – the latter in the sense of the interaction between people’s use of nature and, at the same time, protection against natural forces, as well as the formation of cultural landscapes, such as the coastal cultural landscapes with their lighthouses, lanterns, cairns, and sign. He grew up close to the sea and had a close relationship with the forces of nature and its resources, not least the visual influence of weather, sky, and open sea.
Paintings and pastels 2004-2023
Various 1981-1985
Abstract period (approx. 1989-1998)
