In the blog of 15-09-2015: Does an artist still need to be alive for making his artwork? I talked about Andy Warhol not making his own work. Hence, that it could have been a good idea to have assistants and others continue making his works.

Andy Warhol

What joy, the Dutch have their own dead artist who apparently is still very productive! The one and only Herman Brood! (click on the name to see a video) It is a real pity that there are no English subtitles in this documentary (down below the blog), it is worthwhile seeing how easy one can falsify Brood’s work, receive an authenticity document and sell it for good money.

Herman Brood

What should/could we learn from this?

Two things:

• Go for art that is bedded in craftsmanship. It is easy to copy Andy Warhol, Herman Brood, Anton Heyboer (an other Dutch Hero! click on the name to see a video) and many, many other artists. And up to date: Ai Weiwei. My daughter has lots of Lego. More difficult would be to make a good Goya, Rembrandt, or a good Horst Janssen. My work? Well, I often try to fake my own work, but badly fail.

• Buy what you like and don’t go for names. Look at the stuff you buy! Just falsify the works of the mentioned big names. It saves you a lot of money and you have a nice weekend, feeling a GREAT ARTIST!

Anton Heyboer

Ai Weiwei

A tip: on the 4^th of February my show opens in Barcelona, don’t miss it! I will give details soon.

P.S.: years ago as a joke I thought about creating a museum with all fake pieces. How many have you recognized below? How many do you think you can you falsify? I have stopped at 21 works, but could have easily gone on.

Name of the museum? 'THIS IS NOT A MUSEUM' (thinking about René Magritte)

In the last couple of days some things came together. I saw a friend who lives in London and Saint Petersburg. We exchanged names of artists worthwhile discovering. I mentioned the book ‘Life and Fate’ of Vasily Grossman.

It is an incredible (and for a long time in Russia forbidden) novel I read in one furious breath.

If you click on the name of the book, you can read more about it. If you click on ‘Vasily Grossman’, you hear a part of his plea for the book to be set free.

A comment on the plea and book: ‘The book is an astounding, shattering masterpiece, and even this short excerpt from Grossman's letter does indeed give an inkling of its power.’

Grossman died before the book was published…

And some days ago I talked with a Danish friend about all the beautiful things in the world. I saw Danish artist Asger Jorn’s painting: ‘Stalingrad, le non-lieu où le fou-rire du courage’ in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam years ago. Ever since it is part of the permanent collection of my dream museum. This museum can be found in my head, I visit it quite often…

Both the book and the painting talk about the siege of Stalingrad during the Second World War. 

I keep on turning around the item art and politics. What should the role of art be?

An art movement that commented on the horrors of the Second World War was COBRA. The name is a combination of the names of three cities where the artists came from: Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam. Asger Jorn was one of the artists. Others were Karel Appel, Constant and Corneille. For years I had the same gallery where Corneille made fame and fortune. You could buy ties, shirts, cushions and silkscreen prints of his works. It was a total sell out.

Silkscreen of the design of Corneille's tie:

As a last treat I want to mention Constant Nieuwenhuys' ‘New Babylon’ project. Constant created the plan for the 'city of the future'. A place where ‘everybody is an artist’… . Click on the name of the project to know more. 

There you go, yet another artist not only commenting on life and politics, but even coming with a proposal…

Should we build this city or respect to Kraus’ definition of what the artist is about (I could not agree more. In the sketch below the quote is held up by Karl playing Willem de Kooning in shorts on the beach, no tie):

‘Only he is an artist who can make a riddle out of a solution.’

Video: a short documentary on the siege of Stalingrad (sorry, I could not find anything better, read between the lines and read Grossman’s!).

All the best for 2016! Should we throw away the old stuff? Do we still need it, can we still appreciate it?

At the first day in the New Year we should be a bit serious and talk about the future, the now and the past in the arts.

On the page: TECHNIQUES : on painting  of the site 

I posted some thoughts about art. There is one about the definition of ‘contemporary art’. My desired one is:

‘Contemporary art is art that moves the spectator today. It is not important when or by whom the work was made or why (hence, Rembrandt is one of the greatest contemporary artists).

All the other criteria used are mostly misleading and only for the glory for the ones using them. Many times I think these criteria are used for marketing sake or as sales excuses.’

I define art through the eyes of the spectator, not through the eyes of the artist. My ideas and aims in my work are not vital for the spectator to know. Read more of the texts about art on the site and it may be clearer.

A consequence is that my political ideas are not of great importance. And away with time!

I wander which place in art history Ai Wei Wei will have in 200 years. (Especially for the Italians; on the 31^st his performance here shown means something different…)

My place in time/history? I could not care less…

Images:

Maurice de Vlaminck, 1900’s New Years wish

Ai Wei Wei dropping an ancient Chinese vase (performance)

Two sketches of mine: ‘December 31 1988’ and a philosophical one, the passing of time makes us thoughtful: ‘Sheep at the end of the world, Plato’

A painting of mine that did not make it: ‘Ice princess’ Not anymore existing…

I paint in many different ways now.

At the academy I just used to build up layers of paint.

All the three Italy years (after the academy) were formative years. I had to cut loose from the harness given by the teachers and fellow students.

I don’t remember when I started to cut in the layers of paint. It seemed a logical step then and it still does. The idea came from how I do my charcoal drawings. I am addicted to the rubber eraser. Why just go one way, from light to dark and not the other way as well? To undo what one as done…

In oil it is different, you can always go from dark to light too, but partly scraping off the last layers gave me more letters in my alphabet.

Light on dark or vice versa gives a certain effect, but scraping away dark, so light comes back or vice versa works differently.

This and my way of getting to a finished painting make a painting typically mine. I can start with the idea of a landscape, move over to a portrait and end it as a bull.

This painting has remained a landscape all the way. But in the video you can see the many transformations and the scraping.

As well as the invention of the oil tube, for me the invention of a certain type of cutters has broadened my scale of possibilities.

MIST OVER SEA

Oil on canvas

73 x 92 cm.

2015

On the site: mist over sea

Next to bulls and portraits, landscapes interest me. The challenge is the creation of that third dimension. Space… the illusion of being able to dive into the painting. To have a 'real' window...

Of my heroes I want to mention Hercules Seghers and Pissarro this time.

These two are each other’s opposite in some ways.

Pissarro was the great impressionist. I often think I can see in which part of France and at what time of day and in which season the painting was made. The light is so incredible. Thanks to the invention of the tubes and the revolution in chemistry, the painters could paint outside.

When I see his works I always have the desire to go to ‘La Rongère’ and paint landscapes outdoors myself. ‘La Rongère’ is one of my paradises on earth. The people who have been there, know what I talk about.

And then there is Seghers. Rembrandt collected his work, mostly etchings. In this blog you see details of the etching of Seghers (and I should say Rembrandt). Rembrandt bought the plate and re-did the right part. So now half of the work is done by Seghers and the other half is done by Rembrandt. (For the whole etching click on: VLUCHT NAAR EGYPTE) I love Rembrandt’s work, but if the etching would be cut in two and I could to take only half of it, I would go for the Seghers half.

Why?

People still wander how Seghers made them. He did not (only) use the technique of scratching with the needle or the commenly used aqua tints. He constantly experimented.

I love to hide and transform the brushstroke. Here I go in Seghers’ direction. I search for the unexpected. You can see a detail of a still unfinished landscape I am working on.

IMAGES: 

two works of Pissarro.

detail of the etching, the part of Rembrandt.

detail of the etching, the part of Seghers.

detail of a landscape I am still working on.

In the blog of June 21 of this year I explained my fascination with bulls and the ritual of bullfights. Let me now get more into why painting bulls fascinates me.

A painting has two dimensions; you go up and down and sideways. What can be more challenging then to try and add the two missing ones: space and time? In science these two play a very big role (Einstein) and for me in painting as well. The illusion of space and of time is very much the main subject when I paint bulls.

Especially in the auctioned one of December 10 - 2015, you can see it.

The head is very much in ‘primo piano’ and the movement of the animal is the ‘main course’. In other paintings I may look for different areas of interest; these animals serve for this research.

For me it happens with the bull more than any other animal, maybe because I live in Spain, maybe because I am a big fan of Goya and maybe because through him I understand it much better.

And there is another thing.

Often we follow mainstream ideas about how we should look at things and how we should live.

Sometimes one can have the feeling that all has fallen into place. These days it happened for me. Having seen the Goya portrait show in London, his work got under my attention once again. And I am a great admirer of the art critic Robert Hughes. At the end of his life he wrote a biography about Goya.

Then Paris happened… The madness of mankind; I regard it not as something that is foreign to us ‘civilized Europeans’. Yesterday I watched the BBC documentary of Robert Hughes about Goya. See video in Spanish below; for the English version go to:

Goya, crazy like a genius

It is an absolute must see… It helped so much putting things in perspective.

One becomes aware of what the place of art can be in the world. Not a hiding place, not a criticism from the outside, but the mirror we all to often do not want to look in.

Not so long ago I looked in the mirror as well…  Here is a detail of my humble result:

http://www.bertvanzelm.com/object?object=197

next to some Goya images.

Maybe I should appolagize for this not very 'happy' blog.

In 2005 I was commissioned by the office of ‘Provinciale Staten van Utrecht’ to portray the last 4 Dutch queens ‘in threes’. In total a work of 12 canvasses. It hangs in the only palace constructed for a Dutch pope. 

Why portray each queen three times? It was the way I portrayed people then (and still love to do), allowing me to show more than just one side of a person.

An example where this aspect comes out very clear: I portrayed dr. Walter Arno Noebel (http://www.bertvanzelm.com/object?object=24), a well-respected German architect. In one portrait I ‘presented’ him in this state of mind. In another I gave space to the more play full and light side of his character. It was fun to spend time with him.

Maybe the most interesting one done in this way was of the three portraits of sign. Calligaris (http://www.bertvanzelm.com/object?object=56). I portrayed him at three different ages. This gives the portrait the weight of more than just a snapshot taken of someone's life. Some fantasizing from my part was needed, but in the end the client was very satisfied.

Does there exist any other portrait like that? Not that I know of. If you know one, please write a comment about it.

Some time ago my nephew showed me an article about the English queen being portrayed from 4 different sides. http://nos.nl/artikel/2049978-elizabeth-in-viervoud-op-de-foto.html

IMAGES:

dr. W. A. Noebel

sign. Calligaris

4 Dutch Queens and on the place where it hung first

and 4 times queen Elizabeth

The video shows the way the portrait of the family Kool-Merkus arose.

Time ago a very dear friend of mine asked me about the why of portraits… Unfortunately I cannot take her to the National Gallery exhibition of ‘Goya, the portraits’ anymore.

This show cannot be missed. Rembrandt, Velazquez and Goya: three of my big heroes. And from the three, Goya is maybe the one who knew best how to ‘step out of himself’ and portray a different soul.

I was blown away by the paintings. Their presence was so much stronger than the presence of the visitors. I felt being watched by them, even though in this godless age one is not allowed to say so. They overwhelmed me. After having seen half of the rooms I had to sit down and get back to myself.

Amongst all the amazing paintings just two highlights: Rafael Esteve Vilella (museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia) and the Marquis de San Adrián (Museo de Navarra, Pamplona). Only to show the diversity of characters portrayed. But I could go on and on.

Once seen the portrait of Antonia Zarate it is a very little step to Manet’s portrait of Berthe Morisot (musee Marmottant).

This blog is getting out of hand… And then to think that it is only about the portraits of Goya…

To learn I ‘copy’ the Great Masters every once in a while and amongst the images shown here of the paintings of Goya and Manet you’ll find one of those (and of course there is the ‘magician’ in the mixed media of the former blog).

IMAGES:

Goya: Rafael Esteve Vilella, Marquis de San Adrián and Antonia Zarate.

Manet: Berthe Morisot

Study made by me: Signora con abanico (not shown in London, click on the name and the sketch opens up in a new window)

(Useless to say the images show not even 3% of the originals) 

Amongst the pop artists Peter Blake stands out for me. His work may be very different from mine, but he is a big inspiration. Because soon I’ll be in London, I dedicate this blog to him. Not all of his work I like, probably because I am interested in only certain areas of the world of images.

What I (amongst other) love about him is that he does not seem to care about ‘high’ and ‘low’ art. He does what he wants.

At a certain moment of the documentary (see video below) I had to think of when I was a small boy lost, playing with my toys. If you can give somebody that feeling, you are a great artist.  

IMAGES:

Peter Blake:

'The Beatles 1962'

'The owl and the pussycat'

'Have a nice day mr. Hockney'.

Me:

'He pulled a rubber out of the hat' (http://www.bertvanzelm.com/object?object=122)

'An imitation showing the Elvis jojo'  (http://www.bertvanzelm.com/object?object=195)

and a photo of the artist himself as a cowboy calling his mom.