A presentation of paintings by Johan Kuipers, some of which were painted in Zeeland.
Photo(s): Leo van Kampen
Almost all of the works Kuipers produced in the 1990’s were monochromatic. Often using only the simplest of means, Kuipers sought to add a subtle human element to the reticence and austerity of monochromes. Kuipers’ fascination with light and shadow, and the ambiguity which often is the result, are central to these paintings.
Kuipers’ work changed during a short period of working in Zeeland in 1999, which was soon followed by a prolonged stay. His paintings are a response to the space and structure of Zeeland`s landscape. Although completely abstract, the works are painted with the care and spirit more commonly associated with realists.
These recent paintings are characterized by an enormous attention to detail; they are covered with painstakingly applied patterns that form a screen over the canvass. Viewers walking past these works see the patterns light up and then darken again – a lively dance of emergence and retreat.
Kuipers: “ A painting is silent and whenever I find myself in a large, empty landscape I experience a similar kind of silence. I can lose myself in that silence, while at the same time remaining aware of all the different things that make up the landscape: the grass, some animal`s movements, the sound of the invisible sea.“
exhibitions
tags: johan kuipers,
landscape,
monochrome
