Leo Ravensbergen - A snapshot

Painting with a distinctive visual language

Ravensbergen does not actively seek out his subjects. They come his way through newspaper images, magazines or his everyday surroundings, and strike a chord with him enough for him to capture them. The approach to a painting is often architectural. His work exudes the atmosphere of string quartets: in the contrast between light and dark, in the balance of the composition. Although people are rarely visible in his paintings, there is an atmosphere as if they have just stepped out of the picture.

In recent years, his work has become increasingly abstract, without abandoning its figurative roots. He feels a kinship with lyrical abstract artists such as Cy Twombly, Ger Lataster and Pierre Bonnard.

His painting process is slow and layered. Ravensbergen works in acrylic, oil or egg tempera, on paper, card, linen, corrugated board or Dibond. He paints over, reconsiders and improvises, in a constant interplay of reason and intuition. In the final version of some works, the initial lines of drawing are still visible, offering a glimpse into the process. A number of small square works are presented in a display case.

The series Dona Nobis Pacem deserves special attention, with works such as After The Battle responding to images of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Frozen moments of unnecessary human suffering, captured with a restraint that makes their impact all the more powerful.