Solo show by Jean De Groote.
Oil on canvas paintings from 2015 until now.
His recently deceased heart friend Rik Corijn describes the artist as follows in his text: "Jean De Groote - The Painter of Silence: Jean De Groote (1955) is an Einzelgänger in the Belgian art world. In pastoral Nazareth (can it get any more Biblical?), he retreats to his studio every day like a hermit. In this creative monk's cell, he tries to capture the essence of everyday things. The artist turns into an alchemist distilling canvas and paint into the real gold of this clamorous century: silence.
De Groote's paintings leave a serene, Zen-like impression. Stripped of any functionality, objects are reduced to what they are: things. A rose is a rose is a rose. A black crow is just a bird. Just by crystallising things to their essence, a curious transformation occurs. A rusty nail becomes an icon. A piece of rope turns into a relic."