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A. van Campenhout
Image over image
In the eighteenth century, the English artist Alexander Cozens describes how an image can emerge from a spontaneously drawn spot. The chance shapes of that first, rough sketch suggest directions in which the drawn can evolve within the concept of a larger whole (1). With the same freedom, A. van Campenhout begins the construction of an image. His drawings grow out of black charcoal strokes and are based on a mix of observation, intuition and careful planning. It is precisely in the flexibility, in the receptive and in the revealing of the drawing, in which the line is a constant, that the artist has found his form.
For A. van Campenhout, drawing is a direct process of doing, of considerations that remain visible in the creative process. He is thoughtful and prolonged, weaving lines together like threads. ‘I can draw anything I want; I can also work around markings, in a circumferential motion; or I can be guided by what the drawing dictates.’ Sometimes a grid emerges, other times the handwriting is blunter, faster, more open. The lines provide transparency or density and direct the gaze. With each decision, the artist tries to find a range of alternatives. Things can also arise in the margin or simply be the beginning of a drawing, and may remain so.
A. van Campenhout stacks layers on top of each other and this marks traces - image over image, also because the charcoal penetrates the paper or sometimes remains on it, giving different reflections when lit. The abstract overall image balances between ‘what is’, ‘what can become’ and ‘what can be’. In that twilight zone, much remains in limbo, despite the structure. When is white a void and when is it matter in the foreground? In what depth does the grid lie? The drawing can rotate, change scale, show a backside as an image.
A. van Campenhout seeks tension in the rhythms of pure white and pitch-black, with nuances in between: ‘You see something, but it is nowhere; drama with a soul; in pure black and white still a form.’ Associations amplify the mood. The grid then becomes a brick wall, the lines prison rays. ‘They look abstract, though in their dim darkness they harbour numerous references, memories, reminiscences, and also sadness. They are the craquelures of, in his own words, ‘the human condition’, which he wants to render in grey or black with charcoal or chalk.’ (2) The entire field of vision is filled by the drawing. In that space, the spectator is like a footballer on the pitch. He tries to get a grip, thinks he recognises something but misses it.
A. van Campenhout also describes it as follows: ‘The world vibrates. The superimposed drawings, experiences and memories become landscapes that you carry inside you. I regard the drawing as the residue of attempts, because it is impossible to grab that - or anything - and hold it. The charcoal that falls to the ground in the process is a residue of what has been serving, in a passing of time.’
Lut Pil - Text accompanying the exhibition ‘Radar’ (2020)
(1) Charles A. Cramer, ‘Alexander Cozens’s New Method: The Blot and General Nature’, in The Art Bulletin, 79, 1, maart 1997, p. 113.
( 2) Paul Depondt, ‘Het schemerduister van een tekening’, in A. van Campenhout, Jan Willem den Hartog en Alex De Vries, A. van Campenhout, Den Haag: Uitgeverij De Zwaluw, 2011, p. 7.
Image over image
In the eighteenth century, the English artist Alexander Cozens describes how an image can emerge from a spontaneously drawn spot. The chance shapes of that first, rough sketch suggest directions in which the drawn can evolve within the concept of a larger whole (1). With the same freedom, A. van Campenhout begins the construction of an image. His drawings grow out of black charcoal strokes and are based on a mix of observation, intuition and careful planning. It is precisely in the flexibility, in the receptive and in the revealing of the drawing, in which the line is a constant, that the artist has found his form.
For A. van Campenhout, drawing is a direct process of doing, of considerations that remain visible in the creative process. He is thoughtful and prolonged, weaving lines together like threads. ‘I can draw anything I want; I can also work around markings, in a circumferential motion; or I can be guided by what the drawing dictates.’ Sometimes a grid emerges, other times the handwriting is blunter, faster, more open. The lines provide transparency or density and direct the gaze. With each decision, the artist tries to find a range of alternatives. Things can also arise in the margin or simply be the beginning of a drawing, and may remain so.
A. van Campenhout stacks layers on top of each other and this marks traces - image over image, also because the charcoal penetrates the paper or sometimes remains on it, giving different reflections when lit. The abstract overall image balances between ‘what is’, ‘what can become’ and ‘what can be’. In that twilight zone, much remains in limbo, despite the structure. When is white a void and when is it matter in the foreground? In what depth does the grid lie? The drawing can rotate, change scale, show a backside as an image.
A. van Campenhout seeks tension in the rhythms of pure white and pitch-black, with nuances in between: ‘You see something, but it is nowhere; drama with a soul; in pure black and white still a form.’ Associations amplify the mood. The grid then becomes a brick wall, the lines prison rays. ‘They look abstract, though in their dim darkness they harbour numerous references, memories, reminiscences, and also sadness. They are the craquelures of, in his own words, ‘the human condition’, which he wants to render in grey or black with charcoal or chalk.’ (2) The entire field of vision is filled by the drawing. In that space, the spectator is like a footballer on the pitch. He tries to get a grip, thinks he recognises something but misses it.
A. van Campenhout also describes it as follows: ‘The world vibrates. The superimposed drawings, experiences and memories become landscapes that you carry inside you. I regard the drawing as the residue of attempts, because it is impossible to grab that - or anything - and hold it. The charcoal that falls to the ground in the process is a residue of what has been serving, in a passing of time.’
Lut Pil - Text accompanying the exhibition ‘Radar’ (2020)
(1) Charles A. Cramer, ‘Alexander Cozens’s New Method: The Blot and General Nature’, in The Art Bulletin, 79, 1, maart 1997, p. 113.
( 2) Paul Depondt, ‘Het schemerduister van een tekening’, in A. van Campenhout, Jan Willem den Hartog en Alex De Vries, A. van Campenhout, Den Haag: Uitgeverij De Zwaluw, 2011, p. 7.
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A. van Campenhout
Breda 1957
Opleiding:
1977 – 1982 TeHaTex, docentenopleiding, Tilburg
1982 – 1984 Academie voor Beeldende Vorming, Tilburg
Tentoonstellingen:
2025
- 'Plan for A Living', Thames Side Gallery, Londen (UK) - met Carina Diepens, Sarah Pickstone en Stephen Nicholas
- Galerie van de Berge, Goes - met Carina Diepens, Atie Pruijsers, Paul Gees en Raf Thys
2024
- 'Approaching Worlds', Albert van Abbe-huis, Eindhoven - met Ronald Cornelissen, Martin en Inge Riebeek en Anne-Marie van Sprang
2023
- 'Les Mouchoirs de Poche', Convent, Gent (BE)
- Industrie Museum, Gent (BE)
- 'Zomersalon', Kunsthal, Gent (BE)
- 'ONONDERBROKEN', De Bouwput, Amsterdam - met Korrie Besems (curator) en Carina Diepens
2021
- '50 jaar museum van Bommel van Dam', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
- 'Boulevard van Schoonheid en Troost', Terneuzen
2020
- Radar N/Z Gallery, Arendonk (BE) - met Valérian Goalec en Carina Diepens
curator Trees de Mits, tekst publicatie Lut Pil, publicatie door Jan & Randoald
2017
- 'Hoogtepunten', Museum Jan Cunen, Oss - met o.a. Armando, Viviane Sassen, Maartje Konstanje, Jan Toorop
2016
- 'Here is to be 23', Lokaal 01 Antwerpen (BE)
- 'Nothing if not Beautiful', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
2015
- 'Rhizomes & Hybrids', Park, Tilburg - met Karin van Dam, Jeroen Kuster, Tinka Pittoors, Dieuwke Spaans, Rob Voerman
- 'Veldwerk', Drawing Centre Diepenheim
- 'Tabula Raza', Museum Dr. Guislain (BE) met o.a. Marc De Blieck, Ronny Delrue, Hannelore Van Dijck, Philippe Van Isacker en Lucas Devriendt
2014
- 'L’hôte, la table et les invités', Le Granit, scène nationale, Belfort (FR)
- 'Zwart en Broos', Galerie EL, Welle (BE) met Carina Diepens
- 'Join In!', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
2013
- 'Nieuw, Nieuwer, Nieuwst', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
- 'Once more, unto the breach, dear friends, once more', Lokaal 01, Breda
2011
- 'Harmonious Blacksmith', De Pont Foundation, Tilburg (publicatie: Stern Den Haag, tekst: Hendrik Driessen, QS Serafijn en Volkmar Mühleis)
- 'Artist in residence', Frans Masereel Centrum, Kasterlee (BE)
- 'Met andere ogen - Een terugblik op 40 jaar verzamelen', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
- 'All about Drawing', Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
2010
- 'Artist in residence', Frans Masereel Centrum, Kasterlee (BE)
- 'Tekentalen', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
2009
- 'Zichtlijnen', Gouvernement, Maastricht
- 'In dit uitzicht', Drawing Centre Diepenheim
2008
- 'Tekeningen', Pictura, Dordrecht met Simon Benson
- '7x7', RC De Ruimte, IJmuiden
2007
- 'Paulo Post Futurum', Lokaal 01 en Breda's Museum, Breda - met o.a. Peter Buggenhout
- Galerie 59, SBK, Amsterdam
- 'STAY IN - STAY OUT', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo, met Marc Nagtzaam
2006
- 'Muur / Wall', Teylers Museum, Haarlem
2004
- 'Drawing about Drawing', La Maison de Marijke Schreurs, Brussel (BE)
- 'Voor ik vergeet', Museum Jan Cunen, Oss, concept: Ad van Campenhout | met Fiona Banner en Jacq Palinckx
catalogus Esther Krop, tekst: QS Serafijn en Edwin Jacobs
2003
Art Brussels, La Maison de Marijke Schreurs, Brussel (BE)
- 'Mosaique de Chambres 2', La Maison de Marijke Schreurs, Brussel (BE)
2002
- 'De Kromme van TENT', TENT CBK, Rotterdam
- 'Teekenings' aan de wand, NBKS, Breda
2001
- 'Put it on a drip', Lokaal 01, Antwerpen (BE), met Kris Vleeschouwer
- 'A. van Campenhout, 011 Podium', Fontys Academie voor de Kunsten, Tilburg
- 'Sharewood', Platform Gallery, Londen (UK), met Carina Diepens en AE Kliest
2000
- 'Nieuwe Oogst', Teylers Museum, Haarlem
1999
- 'Johanna', Museum Jan Cunen, Oss
- 'Archisx & Bdybldng', De Fabriek, Eindhoven
1998
- 'Rechtstreeks', De Fabriek, Eindhoven
1997 - 1998
- 'Additional Drawings', Hales Gallery, Londen (UK)
- 'Forming the Line at Hales Gallery', Hales Gallery, Londen (UK)
1994
- 'Wereld op Zolder', De Beyerd, Breda - met o.a. Jan Roeland, Lucassen en Erik van Lieshout
1993
- 'Size is everything', Granville Arcade, Londen (UK)
1991
- 'Op ware grootte: Tekeningen / Full seized: Drawings', Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1990
- 'Tekeningen', NBKS, Oirschot
- 'Zonder Woorden', Museum Jan Cunen, Oss
1989
- 'Brabant Biënnale', Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven
1988
- 'Verschilzicht,' De Ruimte (voormalig Galerie Liesbeth Lips), Rozengracht, Amsterdam
Mede-curator en deelnemer : 4 presentaties voor 16 kunstenaars, waaronder Albert van Westing, QS Serafijn, Ien Lucas en A.M. Kopper
Docentschappen
2009 – 2023 - Docent Tekenen Sint-Lucas | LUCA School of Arts, Campus Gent (BE) aan de Academische opleiding en Visual Design
1986 - Docent TeHaTex, Tilburg
Beurzen en stipendia
Nederlands Fonds voor Beeldende Kunsten, Vormgeving en Architectuur
Mondriaan Fonds
1986
1994 - 2002
1995 - 2003 - 2008 - 2012
A. van Campenhout
Breda 1957
Opleiding:
1977 – 1982 TeHaTex, docentenopleiding, Tilburg
1982 – 1984 Academie voor Beeldende Vorming, Tilburg
Tentoonstellingen:
2025
- 'Plan for A Living', Thames Side Gallery, Londen (UK) - met Carina Diepens, Sarah Pickstone en Stephen Nicholas
- Galerie van de Berge, Goes - met Carina Diepens, Atie Pruijsers, Paul Gees en Raf Thys
2024
- 'Approaching Worlds', Albert van Abbe-huis, Eindhoven - met Ronald Cornelissen, Martin en Inge Riebeek en Anne-Marie van Sprang
2023
- 'Les Mouchoirs de Poche', Convent, Gent (BE)
- Industrie Museum, Gent (BE)
- 'Zomersalon', Kunsthal, Gent (BE)
- 'ONONDERBROKEN', De Bouwput, Amsterdam - met Korrie Besems (curator) en Carina Diepens
2021
- '50 jaar museum van Bommel van Dam', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
- 'Boulevard van Schoonheid en Troost', Terneuzen
2020
- Radar N/Z Gallery, Arendonk (BE) - met Valérian Goalec en Carina Diepens
curator Trees de Mits, tekst publicatie Lut Pil, publicatie door Jan & Randoald
2017
- 'Hoogtepunten', Museum Jan Cunen, Oss - met o.a. Armando, Viviane Sassen, Maartje Konstanje, Jan Toorop
2016
- 'Here is to be 23', Lokaal 01 Antwerpen (BE)
- 'Nothing if not Beautiful', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
2015
- 'Rhizomes & Hybrids', Park, Tilburg - met Karin van Dam, Jeroen Kuster, Tinka Pittoors, Dieuwke Spaans, Rob Voerman
- 'Veldwerk', Drawing Centre Diepenheim
- 'Tabula Raza', Museum Dr. Guislain (BE) met o.a. Marc De Blieck, Ronny Delrue, Hannelore Van Dijck, Philippe Van Isacker en Lucas Devriendt
2014
- 'L’hôte, la table et les invités', Le Granit, scène nationale, Belfort (FR)
- 'Zwart en Broos', Galerie EL, Welle (BE) met Carina Diepens
- 'Join In!', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
2013
- 'Nieuw, Nieuwer, Nieuwst', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
- 'Once more, unto the breach, dear friends, once more', Lokaal 01, Breda
2011
- 'Harmonious Blacksmith', De Pont Foundation, Tilburg (publicatie: Stern Den Haag, tekst: Hendrik Driessen, QS Serafijn en Volkmar Mühleis)
- 'Artist in residence', Frans Masereel Centrum, Kasterlee (BE)
- 'Met andere ogen - Een terugblik op 40 jaar verzamelen', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
- 'All about Drawing', Stedelijk Museum Schiedam
2010
- 'Artist in residence', Frans Masereel Centrum, Kasterlee (BE)
- 'Tekentalen', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo
2009
- 'Zichtlijnen', Gouvernement, Maastricht
- 'In dit uitzicht', Drawing Centre Diepenheim
2008
- 'Tekeningen', Pictura, Dordrecht met Simon Benson
- '7x7', RC De Ruimte, IJmuiden
2007
- 'Paulo Post Futurum', Lokaal 01 en Breda's Museum, Breda - met o.a. Peter Buggenhout
- Galerie 59, SBK, Amsterdam
- 'STAY IN - STAY OUT', Museum van Bommel van Dam, Venlo, met Marc Nagtzaam
2006
- 'Muur / Wall', Teylers Museum, Haarlem
2004
- 'Drawing about Drawing', La Maison de Marijke Schreurs, Brussel (BE)
- 'Voor ik vergeet', Museum Jan Cunen, Oss, concept: Ad van Campenhout | met Fiona Banner en Jacq Palinckx
catalogus Esther Krop, tekst: QS Serafijn en Edwin Jacobs
2003
Art Brussels, La Maison de Marijke Schreurs, Brussel (BE)
- 'Mosaique de Chambres 2', La Maison de Marijke Schreurs, Brussel (BE)
2002
- 'De Kromme van TENT', TENT CBK, Rotterdam
- 'Teekenings' aan de wand, NBKS, Breda
2001
- 'Put it on a drip', Lokaal 01, Antwerpen (BE), met Kris Vleeschouwer
- 'A. van Campenhout, 011 Podium', Fontys Academie voor de Kunsten, Tilburg
- 'Sharewood', Platform Gallery, Londen (UK), met Carina Diepens en AE Kliest
2000
- 'Nieuwe Oogst', Teylers Museum, Haarlem
1999
- 'Johanna', Museum Jan Cunen, Oss
- 'Archisx & Bdybldng', De Fabriek, Eindhoven
1998
- 'Rechtstreeks', De Fabriek, Eindhoven
1997 - 1998
- 'Additional Drawings', Hales Gallery, Londen (UK)
- 'Forming the Line at Hales Gallery', Hales Gallery, Londen (UK)
1994
- 'Wereld op Zolder', De Beyerd, Breda - met o.a. Jan Roeland, Lucassen en Erik van Lieshout
1993
- 'Size is everything', Granville Arcade, Londen (UK)
1991
- 'Op ware grootte: Tekeningen / Full seized: Drawings', Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1990
- 'Tekeningen', NBKS, Oirschot
- 'Zonder Woorden', Museum Jan Cunen, Oss
1989
- 'Brabant Biënnale', Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven
1988
- 'Verschilzicht,' De Ruimte (voormalig Galerie Liesbeth Lips), Rozengracht, Amsterdam
Mede-curator en deelnemer : 4 presentaties voor 16 kunstenaars, waaronder Albert van Westing, QS Serafijn, Ien Lucas en A.M. Kopper
Docentschappen
2009 – 2023 - Docent Tekenen Sint-Lucas | LUCA School of Arts, Campus Gent (BE) aan de Academische opleiding en Visual Design
1986 - Docent TeHaTex, Tilburg
Beurzen en stipendia
Nederlands Fonds voor Beeldende Kunsten, Vormgeving en Architectuur
Mondriaan Fonds
1986
1994 - 2002
1995 - 2003 - 2008 - 2012
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