It is true that a considerable part of my work consists of abstract drawings, paintings or etches. That illustrates that I am not really interested in ‘realism’, but rather in studying how pictorial elements – lines, colours, contrasts, shapes, etc. – do present themselves and interact, be it in portraits or in abstracts.
I am not at all against ‘realism’. I recognize that the artist will usually not try to ‘imitate’ or ‘copy’ objects of the real world (a rather useless and vain exercise!). Rather he will try to expose the ‘inner reality’ of the object, clarify certain characteristics, or show how the object would be in an ideal situation.
Abstracts may represent objects that we know, but it is to the viewer to find out, to discover, to decide…. In other words, an abstract image requires a far more active role of the viewer. And of course, different viewers will see different things.
Both in ‘realism’ as in ‘abstracts’ the artist is in dialogue with the work of art, using his own set of concepts (language), his perception and emotionality, and the chosen techniques and materials.
Art is a way of thinking, is dialogue.
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