The jewelry of Unn Tangerud has an expresion of
simplistic, primitive sophistication, often inspired by anscient Nordic
culture. Her materials are silver, bronze or copper with semiprescious
stones or enamel.
In 1959, Uni David-Andersen, the great granddaughter of the founder
of the David-Andersen company in Oslo, started up a small workshop of
her own. Together with female designers such as Unn Tangerud and Marianne
Berg, Uni experimented with new tecnics and free sculptural styles for
jewelry production. The results were both unique pieces, as well as models
for larger scale production at David-Andersen.
When in 1964 David-Andersen launched a new collection of cast silver
jewelry called the Troll Series, one of the more popular pieces was a
brooch named 'Unn's Sun Chariot', designed by Unn Tangerud. This collection
of cast jewelry is characterized by a new sense of simplicity, and the
use of stones found in Norway, such as Amazonite and Thulite. A prominent
point in the creation of this collection was the increased emphasis on
the artistic value of the pieces themselves, rather than on the economic
value of the materials used.
Working onwards from the Troll Series, Unn Tangerud has created her
designs using repetitiones of a motif as a means of expressing her idea.
This is found in both her bronze and her silver jewelry, where elements
of metal are put together on various patterns. In this work is a possible
parallell to her Finnish collegue Pentti Sarpaneva reckognizable. Amongst
her later works are found enamelled pieces in a series called Rustika,
where generous shapes inspired by the forms and sensationes of the Jugend/Art
Noveau period merge with the brighter language of color found in the innovative
enamel works of the seventies.
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Pendant,
patinated/oxidized silver, 1960s.
Brooch 'Snow Crystal' from the Troll Series,
silver with Thulite, 1964.
Bronze ring, 1960s.
Silver pendant, 1960s.
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