Landscape and abstraction
Perhaps the fundamental difference between a landscape painting and a portrait is that a landscape painting never could be a representation. It is more of a memory, something like a fusion of dream and reality. It is as if one were reconstructing a dream from the perspective of reality.
That does not mean that these landscapes are imaginary. What we see is the image of a landscape. And this image points towards the idea, the possibility of a jungle, a colourful garden, a dense forest, a rugged mountain range, we believe we can see the rocks and stones. We gaze into the abyss, at the sea ...
In our imagination, we wander through these landscapes to the end, to where there is no further to go, to the edge of the image, and then even further. We cross the boundaries of our perception and venture into an unknown world.
That does not mean that these landscapes are imaginary. What we see is the image of a landscape. And this image points towards the idea, the possibility of a jungle, a colourful garden, a dense forest, a rugged mountain range, we believe we can see the rocks and stones. We gaze into the abyss, at the sea ...
In our imagination, we wander through these landscapes to the end, to where there is no further to go, to the edge of the image, and then even further. We cross the boundaries of our perception and venture into an unknown world.
Still live
In the traditional sense, fruit still lifes are vanitas images. As such, they deny worldly splendor, point to a world in constant decay, and yet are themselves valuable artisanal testimonies to abundance. The idea of transience is contradicted by the painting itself, and it is in this dichotomy that its dialectical power is revealed.
The fruit still lifes test a new interpretation of the still life. The naturalistically mediated pictorial object appears in isolation, in dialogue with a background that thematizes the materiality and momentum of color. Compositional rigor and motivic isolation emphasize the purely aesthetic features of the painting. Despite - and perhaps because of - the high sensual presence of the fruits, the categories of the representational and the non-representational lose their significance.
The fruit still lifes test a new interpretation of the still life. The naturalistically mediated pictorial object appears in isolation, in dialogue with a background that thematizes the materiality and momentum of color. Compositional rigor and motivic isolation emphasize the purely aesthetic features of the painting. Despite - and perhaps because of - the high sensual presence of the fruits, the categories of the representational and the non-representational lose their significance.
Gaudeamus Igitur, 2010, 103 x 119 cm, oil on canvas