Jos Van de Ven
Surrealistic approach
JosVan de Ven was born in the south of the Netherlands not far from Van Gogh’s village. He became interested in art at an early age due to two Rembrandt-like portraits of his great-grandparents at his home. Initially influenced by the French Impressionists, he received his first prize for painting at only age 19 and serving in the Royal Dutch Marines. At age 23, a meeting with Salvador Dalí at his home in Cadaques, Spain, sparked a lifelong interest in surrealism—an influence that can be seen to this day. Even when his paintings adopt a more classical approach, they have a surrealist touch, which poses a question to the observer. To complement his ideas in art he started studying philosophy. His questions: Why do I want to paint? And what? What do I want to say? These are questions many artists, painters, writers, actors and musicians ask themselves. “With painting I could say and show things that I couldn’t do very well with words. I realized that a big part of life is a mystery. We don’t know all. We know quite a bit about the material world, but that’s not all there is. We tend to be stuck in matter. When painting I saw that fantasy and imagination is in fact unlimited. We can create any world or universe we want,” he says. “Then was born a form of non-conformism; I did not want to agree anymore to everything I saw or heard. It is a free world (although one might think otherwise) in which one can think anything one wants. From that moment on I was looking for a form of painting and subjects that would show a border between reality and fiction.” But life took him into another direction for a while and painting became a scarce activity. When he picked up his paintbrushes again, he had an idea about what to paint. He had changed and was looking for something that would allow him to express what he wanted to say with his art. He started studying the techniques of the 17th-century Dutch Masters with guidance from the Dutch painter Cornelis Le Mair. Using his knowledge, Van de Ven experimented with a variety of traditional materials and approaches. He realized that the knowledge of painting is almost lost in the modern world (regular art academies don’t teach this anymore) and that the traditional know-how of classic painting was fundamental if he wanted to know the real skills of painting. His work took on another form. This included making copies of Old Masters works like those by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Davinci. The influence of Vermeer became clearly visible,
leading to a fascinating combination of the best classical techniques with a modern viewpoint. From him and the traditional Flemish and Dutch Masters in the museums, Van de Ven learns the precise gestures, the expressive quality of matters, the chromatic harmonies and the utilization of the natural light. The still lifes become more and more apparent and evolve from the 17th-century styles to a more contemporary setting. They become simplified but more intense. His works become a play of light, shadows and space. The particular refinement that they reflect captivates the attentive observer, whatever the theme. Behind, or beyond, the simplicity and balance of his paintings have forged the bonds between the reality of the object, seized in its silent essence, and the immateriality of his own free universe. “I wanted to know how to actually paint, the use of materials, pigments, brushes, mediums, etc., before I did anything else or going into some other style,” the artist shares. “That was very important to me. After that I would be free, knowing the techniques I could then attack any subject I wanted.” Van de Ven is a modern artist with a classically inspired style who considers painting to be an adventure and a search for deeper communication. Currently he likes to express a peaceful state of mind using objects in a timeless setting. His work may be still or motionless, but it’s alive. For a period of time he used more sophisticated objects to create elegance and harmony. But you will also find that objects in his paintings have a flaw. They are not perfect. “Perfection is not interesting to paint; it’s the end of the game. Perfection is not the goal, because when you are striving for a ‘technically perfect’ painting, it often becomes imperfect in the sense of art, in its communication. Too much technique may destroy the soul of the work,” he says. “But art can realize your personal perfection by doing what you have always wanted to do.”
Salvador Dalí
The influence of Dalí remains visible in many of his paintings. The fact that Dalí
used his dreams and imaginary landscapes to show that there are other realities, is transformed by Van de Ven in the form of floating objects. For him this idea goes further into disagreeing with the physical universe and at the same time showing that life should not be taken too seriously. Much as he enjoys painting classical still life, he strives to give it a contemporary touch. For instance, in the 17th century, the interiors were dark because of the wood paneling on the walls and because of the small windows. That’s often reflected in the still life paintings of the time, particularly in the dark brown color schemes and the sparse lighting. But Van de Ven wants his still life paintings to be fresh, full of light, with vivid colors. He wants them to be alive, to show that simple things in life have a right to exist too. “If you don’t control the technique, you can’t express what you are aiming for. It’s like placing someone in front of a piano for the first time and saying ‘go ahead, play anything you like,’” he says. “It doesn’t work.”
Still life
One historical painter he greatly admires is Willem Kalf, who was a complete master of truly exquisite still life. Not much is known of him, but his few remaining works are more than superior. Many painters of his time were commissioned to produce still life paintings for the Dutch bourgeoisie, who wanted to show the riches they possessed. The techniques of still life, the accurate rendering of materials, come from that period; the artists learned to paint glass, ivory, silver, tin, copper, etc. It wasn’t easy and it became quite an artistic end in itself. Kalf achieved it with great gusto and flourish, but his greatest pleasure was obviously in painting the “ordinary,” an approach which Van de Ven likes to use.
Light
From Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Vermeer, Van de Ven learned a great deal about light and lighting. Rembrandt was a master in technical virtuosity; he communicated exactly what he meant and had the full mastery of his technique to do so. Van de Ven has great admiration for Rembrandt’s deep understanding of painting, but also of paint, the material itself. In his studio on the north side of his house in Amsterdam, Rembrandt lit his subjects with the natural light of one large window. It had about 10 different small shutters, and depending on the amount and source of light required, he would open some shutters and keep others closed. Vermeer also used mainly natural light; like him, Van de Ven’s daily custom is to use only one window on the north side of his house, which provides a wonderfully consistent, cool light.
Color
When it comes to color, there are endless possibilities. However it needs quite a bit of understanding to mix colors properly, to get the right intensity, pureness and harmony with other colors. “Most of the time I’m looking for harmony. I like the use of the three primary colors, like Vermeer did. It always fits, if used in the proper quantities. Also the use of complementary colors is very effective. They enhance each other and give the painting a kind of ‘freshness,’” he says. “For example by using a cold transparent layer over a warm layer, or vice versa, several times, one creates then an interesting and lively coloring. It was an adventure to discover the use of diamond-like glazes to build up depth, intensity of color, luminosity and a feeling of ‘something real and yet unreal.’”
But what is a good painting?
Well, that’s not easy to answer. Many people believe that one should feel moved, touched, when seeing the painting, that it should be tasteful and that it should be “a job well done”— meaning that its technical rendition is good or more than good. But perhaps a good painting might also reveal a message or concept. “Technique for the sake of technique and for showing off a kind of virtuosity may produce some element of ‘wow’, but to my mind it has no real value. A painting has to be an illusion with a soul, not an exact replica of reality. Photography can do that much better. That’s why I love the art of painting. The artist can create something, using reality as a tool, if he wishes, that a photographer may never be able to do. He can make his own light, mix colors that may not really exist, or generate forms that would be difficult to find in the real world. A painting is the product of an artist’s fantasy and imagination, giving him the opportunity to create and show his own universe,” says Van de Ven. “One of the goals of the artist must surely be making his painting come alive, it should communicate, and for me that aliveness is created with light. But it’s quite a challenge to create light with just a little bit of paint…the richness of life lies within sincerity, elegance and a bit of mystery. I like my paintings to reflect states of being and my quest towards a better comprehension of man and his nobility. Hopefully my paintings open up a window for those who like to look beyond appearances.”