Karel Appel (Amsterdam, Nederland, 1921 - 2006)
This collaboration with the Karel Appel Foundation was a long-cherished wish for me. You could see this exhibition, as it were, as the final piece in the story that I have been allowed to write as a gallery owner so far.
Karel Appel's work was for me, as a little boy, my first acquaintance with the world of the arts. I saw how he applied the paint to the canvas without any form of fear. He almost seemed to throw it at it, each time with astonishing results. I have always followed Appel's work with admiration. His works from the time of CoBrA, the renewal and development during the late 1970s and early 1980s and the challenging tranquility of his later periods. Appel is energetic and expressive, perhaps even explosive, yet always with a delicate sensitivity. The intense colours, robust figures and thick paint stripes overwhelm the viewer. It's tempting and easy to think that's where the power of his work lies. But with this easy-going analysis, the viewer does both himself and the artist a disservice. In all his works, he creates a world that stands alone. Appel's hand can be recognized effortlessly in both the figurative and the abstract. The longer you look at the work, the more you become part of it as a spectator. There is an invitation to a deeper layer, a doorway to another reality. It is the search that is asked of the public, that has always fascinated me.
Appel asks this quest not only from the viewer, but also from himself. It is therefore logical that a major development can be seen in his oeuvre. Initially he was known for the abstract figurative. But at the end of the 1970s a turning point took place. Appel makes his own search and arrives at the work of Van Gogh. He is inspired by his wavy brushstrokes. This form of reflection and innovation results in Fields No. 13, which was exhibited in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in 1982. The canvas hung at an unusual height. The work is abstract, no form or shape can be recognized. And yet it is perhaps the most expressive work to date. The brushstrokes are controlled, but rhythmic. The composition is tidy, yet spontaneous. The colors are calmer, but no less challenging.
This makes it indisputably a work of Appel. Now, 40 years later, this work forms the foundation for the exhibition that will be on view from September 3 to October 22, 2022 in Christian Ouwens Galerie, right opposite Museum Boijmans van Beuningen.
Initially, as a child, I was impressed by the fearlessness and daring that his works communicate. But as I got older, I became more and more captivated by the constant urge for depth and innovation that runs like a red thread through his oeuvre. This makes the significance of this exhibition twofold for me. On the one hand it is the crown jewel of everything I have been able to do so far, on the other it is an invitation to continue searching for the deeper layer within the framework of the gallery, just like Appel always did.
Come by and immerse yourself in the paint strokes of Appel. Let yourself be transported to another world. Reflect and start a new chapter. I will do the same.
Christian Ouwens