Neo Deco | The Pulse of Color and Form – 2026-07-13

Balance of Form and Color

This oil ‘Neo Deco | The Pulse of Color and Form’ searches for a perfect balance of form and color. It also explores tone and saturation to achieve a harmonious visual result. Recently, I rewrote my art statement to a painting I made 12 years ago, called ‘Roundism – 2024-02-12’. I must say, I’m still attracted to the colour scheme of that one. It surely doesn’t count for all the paintings I’ve created to date though. There is one thing that bothered me a bit: maximally saturated yellow. This color tended to get the upper hand in the current painting as well.

Yellow Streak

How do you feel about yellow? Personally, I find myself stuck in a relation of attraction and repulsion. My Golden series shows my initial love for the very colour. Upon my word, it can have its charms if used as a sole actor. Mostly too dominant instantly when put next to other colors. Or couse Johannes Itten was right about how yellow should relate to its neighbouring colours. He even gave formulas for proportions and quantities, but I find this simply too academic. Even though I’m academically formed as a (ex-) lawyer, I’m also an artist who can act on a whim. Only to find myself in a bit of a mess after its initial overwhelming power is gone.

Tuning Down Saturation

You see, the very next day you take a critical and sober look at the painting, yellow seems to scream. Again, I would say because it always does, and I never learn. That’s why I made this painting in the first place: as an annotation to the oil of 2014.  As to other aspects I would like to refer to the prestudy ‘Roundism – 2019-06-10’. This art statement focuses on colour only and thereby the solution for the mess I was in.  Simply tuning down the yellow by mixing it with purple. Instead of planes containing colours too saturated I chose for strong coloured linear structures. Bigger structures like the planes in the thy, breast, arms and legs I tuned down considerably. This way acceptable and subtle degrees of unsaturated colours are realized. Just like a subtle conversation between old friends.

Oil on portrait linen (60 x 80 x 2 cm)

Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: info@corneakkers.com

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