About Photography
We have shown Per William Petersen’s artwork to our visual art lovers in our review five years ago (see: https://www.fitralit.ro/28-02-2017-art-is-that-time-we-are-here/). We knew he was and is a sculptor, but this winter he has proven us wrong. He is a also a photographer of great taste. The way he caught on the lenses of his camera that wintry day of February 2023 in Estonia at -18 degrees Celsius was and is mindblowing. A real coup d’art. So, we asked him to grant us some photos of that miraculous winter day. He accepted and also gave us his thoughts about photography and his way on the path of art. Thank you, Per. (Fitralit)
***
About Photography
When a bright moment displaces the darkness. Sometimes you read, maybe just a short sentence. Few words that in a second solve a lifelong puzzle. A piece falls into place in life’s great puzzle. Was it well written? Was it well thought out? My answer must be: “It depends on who is reading it!” It depends on who was missing that „piece”. A few years ago I was given such a „piece” as a present. Something dawned on me, knowing that another person had thought of the „piece”. Wrote it down and let me read it. It sounds free from memory something like this: „When you don’t notice what season of the year it is, winter, spring, summer or autumn, you are happy!” There it dawned on me, that I decided I was Happy! When I say „decided”, it’s because I think you can decide a lot in life, including whether you want to be happy. Of course, it also has something to do with reality. How big ambitions can one’s happiness contain before the „happiness balloon” bursts? I discovered that I actually very rarely thought about what season it is. I did care about that in the past. Without consciously considering it, I now enjoy each and every season. Each time has its charm, its gift. It gives you the freedom to not always have too long for something else, something other than exactly what you already have! Live life and work for what I believe in and what I know I must do, that is my freedom, my happiness. The sensation of the above came to fruition when I woke up one morning refreshingly to one of the coldest days of the year. But also one of the most beautiful. Got the feeling that if I wanted the opportunity to experience the beauty, I had to pay the price (Everything has a price). I decided to take the chance and paid with cold fingers. But it was cheap. I got a boost „out of this World”. I was about a kilometer from my home, and yet I suddenly felt like I was on another planet. One of those moments you take with you in the future. An unforeseen wealth to live on. There I stood totally alone on the bank of the river. I have stood there many times before, but now the surroundings were transformed. A light that changed everything. Without moving geographically, I was in another place. This magic confirmed to me, that the foundation on which my work rests is inextricably linked. All my artistic work has a common denominator: „Through my work, I want to see something I have not seen before!” What nature gave me is related to creating something unpredictable. Sometimes it works!
Statement
As a person/artist, I am very goal-oriented. I’m here to find something I haven’t seen before. I am here to show that old problems can find new solutions. That stories can be told in a different way than before. That things can be developed, instead of following in old footsteps. I want to surprise, without losing the point. I would like to reinforce the point via the surprise! I know we live in a world that is dark and depressing. But I will not let the darkness win. I work to let the light win over the darkness. We are born with light and momentum, art must strengthen that, not do the opposite. I grew up in Denmark. My father was an artist and has never doubted that I was destined for the same fate. I have been an artist all my life. 17 years ago I moved from Denmark to Tartu. Here I found the concentration and fertile ground that gave me the power and the opportunities to “splash”!
* Danish-Estonian artist Per William Petersen had lived and worked as a freelance artist in Tartu, Estonia for more than 13 years. He graduated from Danish Design School in Copenhagen first as a silversmith and then as a graphic designer. His sculptures have been made with his own unique technique, humorous and distinctive, combining the artist’s educational skills as well as his rich imagination. Per Petersen has always loved painting and drawing. His paintings are varied from subject to the theme. Besides his realistic compositions and figures, there are also purely geometrical works. Per‘s topics mostly rotate around people-to-people relationships. With curiosity, surprise, and humour, the artist enjoys discovering the truth of the existence of others and himself. Per Petersen‘s works have been actively exhibited in Estonia in recent years as well as in Denmark, Russia, Portugal, USA, and other countries. In 2021 Per published his book: „Woman in Fur -selected works 1995 -2020.” 320 pages in 3 languages. English, Danish, and Estonian. This year Per will participate in until now 14 planned exhibitions. For more details:: www.pwp.dk
