Marc Kuyper works on an oeuvre in which space and lightness meet in an evocative, poetic way.
Marc Kuyper's
current work consists of encaustic paintings (beeswax paintings) and
large color etchings. The experience of space and color are the focal
points in his work, which is also characterized by a direct, austere
but also poetic working method. He himself says of his work: I want to
two-dimensionalise my life in abstracto, because I believe it increases
my grip on life. My art is largely a matter of filtering until the
image leaves a lasting impression; a reduction to color, surface,
composition: conveying wonder through imagery by charging recognizable
shapes, figuration or objects with tension. During the past years my
work has been influenced by the landscape and the experience of the
landscape. Self-made photographs may be the starting point, or memories
in atmosphere of places visited. I often place a figure in such a
landscape as some kind of spectator caught by surprise, a chance
visitor in a strange, living landscape. Sometimes I leave out this
'witness', and sometimes an isolated element from the landscape, for
instance a stone, a tree or a house, acts as a witness. My painting and
etching technique is archaic and basic; I distrust the over-finished
and over-smooth. Imperfection is often more expressive and can be used
consciously. Not as a suggestive detour, but directly. Using materials
you feel akin to is also important. Intensifying my relationship to
what I make is necessary for achieving an intensive or passionate
handling of my subject. One must dare to use pictorial clichés, because
space in relation to man does matter. This is the only thing. For this
reason, it is okay if the image is theatrical or narrative. It should
not be esoteric or romantic.
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