Nobel Prize: Meet the artist behind laureates’ illustrations

Niklas Elmehed

Niklas Elmehed

Niklas Elmehed

You have probably noticed something similar about all Nobel prize winners. The first glimpses of the Nobel laureates with the prestigious award come as a portrait and not a photograph. Here’s all about Niklas Elmehed, the portrait artist who is painting the laureates since 2012.

Twitter explodes as Nobel Prize authorities reveal the artist behind the portraits

The latest tweet by the organization has caught everyone’s attention. “Discover the person behind the striking illustrations of the 2021 Nobel Prize laureates: Niklas Elmehed,” tweeted the official handle. They also shared an image of Elmehed painting portraits of the new laureates—Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa.

Several people loved the presentation format of the portraits. “I think the presentation of the award winners is outstanding. People weren’t simply drawn. I think the personality was hit perfectly,” tweeted a user. However, people also speculated how he makes portraits in short periods. Several people were worried about confidentiality. “Do they lock him in a bunker so he doesn’t tell anyone the name of the winners before they’re announced?” asked a user.

Meet Niklas Elmehed, the talented portrait artist

Niklas Elmehed has been painting portraits of the laureates with a striking and clean line. Additionally, the portraits contain streaks of gold foil and the human dimension. Elmehed came up with a new style since the winners should be represented in a fresh light. Moreover, the graphic representation puts them “in a cool and breaking news way”. 

The organization chose this style as it is “unifying and welcoming”. Additionally, the art format works well irrespective of the viewing format. However, this means that he must work very quickly. “It’s like a sports race – a lot of training and preparations. It is a very special feeling that announcement week.

“This is like being inside the eye of the tornado”. “I know that most of my paintings will reach many millions of people within seconds after they are released. That is very unique for a visual artist”. 

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