2011 Landschappen (Without Fear) (Diepenheim)
I find nature difficult: by itself it is very overwhelming and thousands of artists before me have already tried to match it, tried to be part of it. As an artist you must at least try to get beyond that.
I presented small drawings of landscapes for the first time in Diepenheim. I have always found them too beautiful. But also the bocage landscapes around Diepenheim are almost too beautiful, so, as an homage to this beauty I consented to show my drawings.
In my representational drawings I do not like to impose anything onto the landscape but I definitely like to show what I know about the light in the landscapes by Ruysdael, Rembrandt and Mondriaan – their way of drawing, those immense skies and a little village on the horizon.
While drawing I am aware of rythm and abstraction necessary to draw light. What I draw I want to dance, the paper needs to dance, to vibrate.
Willem Weissenbruch too creates those wonderful vibrations… As in the case of the human body, one has to know the anatomy of the landscape. I draw all the elements I see and continue to brush the charcoal with my fingers to bind everything in shadows. After all, every shape is also present in its shadow.