Heske de Vries 'Scenes and Squares'
In her paintings and drawings, Heske de Vries is amazed by seemingly insignificant objects and everyday events. A street view full of sunlight, a diffuse landscape, an abandoned interior or a plate with cherries with a woman's hand lead to the painting of mostly small, intimate works in which the viewer can discover a lot.
It has been painted with attention, the subject and the effect have been felt through. Space has been displayed in a nuanced way and the color palette is subtle and chosen with precision. They are - according to De Vries - metaphors for vulnerability, tranquility, loneliness and beauty.
Heske: "I work rather quickly, it has to be good right away, the right turn has to be made, otherwise I will start again. Just as long until I have found what I was looking for: the wonderful, vulnerable of the everyday things around us.
A thick, flat brush with which I let the paint flow over the canvas. And a thin, pointed brush to bring out the subject helps me get as close as possible to there."
Certain subjects require a deeper layering and skin, such as the oysters, shells and flowers. She paints other subjects, such as her beautiful light and wide squares with moving dots of people, thin, weightless and empty, making them escapist. They can be all kinds of realities; you can choose one that you feel most comfortable with as a viewer.
(with thanks to Jona van Zetten for some text fragments)
Peter Redert 'time at sea (….)'
Nature and art can give you a feeling of rising above yourself, in the way that you disconnect from your daily hassle and relax. Your thoughts stand still; you are only there. Like waves that do not depict or proclaim anything, they are only there. You could call this experience the meditative function of art.
In Peter Redert's paintings we see a distant world that no longer exists. We see the interpretation of the memory of a frozen moment. The sharpness of reality has faded by time travel. The reality that Redert encounters again has something of a surprising discovery, which also seems familiar to you.
It is the point of view of a photographer who, like no one else, is capable of capturing that one second for eternity; to ‘freeze’ that moment in time. The painter can add his unique handwriting to that special quality of photography; in the painting we see the interpretation of the memory of that
moment.
Peter Redert builds up his paintings layer by layer. One layer is applied with a roller, while the next is painted. An image emerges -- a performance that does not always deserve to be preserved. Then another layer is rolled. Etc. There is a ‘sandwich technique’. As a result, the canvases make a worked-over and lived-in impression with hidden mysterious stories.
We see hushed mini-scenes. Images of illusions, condensed stories and memories. Visualized places and objects from the past, which you have always wanted to cherish and from which Redert managed to extract the memories. Gently caught butterflies from his youth.