De Figuratieven
The Figurative Art exhibition shows works some of which remain very close to visible reality, but also others that move away from reality through stylisation and abstraction - yet never to the point where that reference to the world disappears.
The concept of figurative art is fairly recent. It originated with the invention of pure abstract art. Before then, all art was figurative. In abstract art, the paint stain itself is a ‘realistic’ feature. That stain is expressive in shape, colour and texture, but represents what it is, namely a paint stain. In figurative art, the paint stain is also expressive of colour shape and texture, but that is not what the viewer perceives first. Those means of expression are used to convey something else: namely, the representation of something outside the painting.
By contrast, in perceiving reality, the figurative artist is often inspired by the graphic properties of that reality. For instance, the way a crane stands out against the sky, or the shadow patterns of foliage on a wall, as well as the texture of a tiled roof, can inspire a more or less realistic painting. These are abstract data to be worked with but they are in the service of conveying the recognisable subject.
Participating artists: Loek Bos, Niels Smits van Burgst, Lux Buurman, Florence Fernhout, Joke Frima, Marten Hazelaar, Lau Heidendael, Gerard Huysman, Anja Jager, Rien Jansen, Nanna de Klerk, Martin Koole, Kim Kroes, Hans Kuyper, Marc Langer, Hanneke Naterop, Chris Nobels, Annemarie Petri, Ben Rikken, Johan Scherft, Guido Sprenkels, Ton van Steenbergen, Janneke Tangelder, Willem Veerman, Aat Verhoog, Hans Versfelt, Maarten Welbergen, Bert Welmers, Gineke Zikken.
