MATS PEHRSON

Artist


HONOR OUR HISTORY, IMAGINE OUR FUTURE
Buildings and places have a story to tell. Memories and a burden of a city’s soul. Reading “Vanishing New York: How a Great City Lost Its Soul”, by Jeremiah Moss, became a starting point for a new series of oil paintings. The book reports on the city’s development in the twenty-first century, a period of "hyper-gentrification" that has resulted in the shocking transformation of beloved neighborhoods and the loss of treasured unofficial landmarks. As a reaction towards these changes of the urban landscape – both from my own observations in New York City and from traveling abroad - I peruse the cities to find old and sometimes even abandoned buildings and places, researching their history. A history captured on to canvas, that otherwise might get lost and forever will be gone and forgotten. The painting ”Keller Hotel”, shows a building from 1898 on 150 Barrow Street in Manhattan. It´s been abandoned since 1998 but due to being one of the last remaining waterfront hotels, and the stature of the architect, it became a New York City landmark in 2007. Part of its history, worth mentioning, is that from 1956 until 1998, the storefront of the hotel was called the Keller Bar, and it was said to be the oldest gay leather bar in the city. “The Cabalist of East Broadway”. Today this place is a Chinese restaurant, but between 1941–1983 it was the legendary Garden Cafeteria, a center of intellectual Jewish life on the Lower East Side – and a gathering place for poets and writers such as Isaac Singer and Elie Wiesel. “Nitrolackfabriken”, depicts a paint factory in Stockholm, Sweden from the 1940s. It’s been abandoned and vandalized since 2006 when the production of paint was moved to another city. The building is representing high cultural and historic value and has been categorized as such. Even so, the unique building is doomed to be demolished and the whole industrial area is being developed into another gentrified neighborhood. My paintings will not last forever, but it’s an effort to honor our past, our history and maybe – a city’s lost soul. The paintings are detail oriented without being photorealistic. They are painterly with built up texture, visible brush strokes and emphasis on shadows and light.
POSTER WALL, oil on canvas, 30x40 inches, 76x102 cm.jpeg

POSTER WALL, oil on canvas, 30x40 inches, 76x102 cm.jpeg

VIEW FROM THE TRAIN TRACKS, oil on canvas, 40x36 inches, 102x91,5 cm.jpg

VIEW FROM THE TRAIN TRACKS, oil on canvas, 40x36 inches, 102x91,5 cm.jpg

3 ESSEX STREET, oil on canvas, 46x44 inches, 117x112 cm.jpg

3 ESSEX STREET, oil on canvas, 46x44 inches, 117x112 cm.jpg

BUILDING ON ERMOU STREET, oil on canvas, 48x50 inches, 122x127 cm.jpg

BUILDING ON ERMOU STREET, oil on canvas, 48x50 inches, 122x127 cm.jpg

BLACKENED CATFISH AND A CAJUN MARTINI, oil on canvas, 40x30 inches, 102x76 cm.jpg

BLACKENED CATFISH AND A CAJUN MARTINI, oil on canvas, 40x30 inches, 102x76 cm.jpg

IF WALLS COULD TALK, oil on canvas, 30x24 inches, 76x61 cm.jpg

IF WALLS COULD TALK, oil on canvas, 30x24 inches, 76x61 cm.jpg

THE CABALIST OF EAST BROADWAY, oil on canvas, 30x24 inches, 76x61 cm.jpg

THE CABALIST OF EAST BROADWAY, oil on canvas, 30x24 inches, 76x61 cm.jpg

KILLARNEY ROSE, oil on canvas, 40x36 inches, 102x91,5 cm.jpg

KILLARNEY ROSE, oil on canvas, 40x36 inches, 102x91,5 cm.jpg

DICKEY HOUSE ON EDGAR STREET, oil on canvas.jpg

DICKEY HOUSE ON EDGAR STREET, oil on canvas.jpg

DESOLATED BACKYARD, oil on canvas 28x36 inches, 71x91,5 cm.jpg

DESOLATED BACKYARD, oil on canvas 28x36 inches, 71x91,5 cm.jpg

DOG ON BALCONY, oil on canvas, 30x24 inches, 76x61 cm.jpg

DOG ON BALCONY, oil on canvas, 30x24 inches, 76x61 cm.jpg

TRIBUTE TO THE VANISHING DINER, oil on canvas.jpg

TRIBUTE TO THE VANISHING DINER, oil on canvas.jpg

DEBRIS BY EAST RIVER, oil on canvas, 16x28 inches, 41x71 cm.jpg

DEBRIS BY EAST RIVER, oil on canvas, 16x28 inches, 41x71 cm.jpg

DEBRIS, AFTER THE STORM, oil on canvas, 16x28 inches.jpg

DEBRIS, AFTER THE STORM, oil on canvas, 16x28 inches.jpg

NITROLACKFABRIKEN, oil on canvas, 40x36 inches, 102x91,5 cm.jpg

NITROLACKFABRIKEN, oil on canvas, 40x36 inches, 102x91,5 cm.jpg

CEMENTFABRIKEN, oil and marble dust on canvas, 32x32 inches, 81x81 cm.jpg

CEMENTFABRIKEN, oil and marble dust on canvas, 32x32 inches, 81x81 cm.jpg

KLINTEN FÄRGFABRIK, oil on canvas, 48x28 inches, 122x71 cm.jpg

KLINTEN FÄRGFABRIK, oil on canvas, 48x28 inches, 122x71 cm.jpg

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, 40x28 inches, 102x71 cm.jpg

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, 40x28 inches, 102x71 cm.jpg

VIEW FROM A PARIS WINDOW, oil on canvas, 30X22 inches, 76x56 cm.jpg

VIEW FROM A PARIS WINDOW, oil on canvas, 30X22 inches, 76x56 cm.jpg

HOBO BLUES, oil on canvas, 40X30 inches, 102x76 cm.jpg

HOBO BLUES, oil on canvas, 40X30 inches, 102x76 cm.jpg

LAUNDRY ON THE ROOFTOP, oil on canvas, 36x40 inches, 91,5x102 cm .jpg

LAUNDRY ON THE ROOFTOP, oil on canvas, 36x40 inches, 91,5x102 cm .jpg

THE HOLY GRAIL - RELIGION AND CORPORATE GREED, oil on canvas, 30x40 inches, 76x102 cm.jpg

THE HOLY GRAIL - RELIGION AND CORPORATE GREED, oil on canvas, 30x40 inches, 76x102 cm.jpg

HOME MADE DONUTS, oil on canvas.jpg

HOME MADE DONUTS, oil on canvas.jpg

FLOATING LANTERNS, oil on canvas, 100x100 cm.jpg

FLOATING LANTERNS, oil on canvas, 100x100 cm.jpg

AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE, oil on canvas, 100x100 cm.jpeg

AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE, oil on canvas, 100x100 cm.jpeg

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