The First One

This oil painting ‘Cubist Woman (2010) probably is the first painting I made in this style. However, it looks more like stained glass than cubism, I think. It all began with my dad trying to tempt me into abstracting my paintings and drawings more. For years I felt attracted to impressionism only. Remembering walking in Musée d’Orsay, Kröller Muller and so many other museums I always liked the impressionists best. That is because at an early age I could employ tonal values already very well. Not before 10. Then I only was drawing cowboys and knights but soon after 1980 I immediately saw the light. An example is Victorian Lady in Red (1984). The hand on the light made me draw only the shadows. Then I must have felt like I didn’t want to draw or painting in a different way ever again.

Discipline of the Light

Once I found the tones I became a discipline of the light. Much later my artworks became a bit surreal as well. Inspired by Dali I allowed deviant stuff come pooring in. So far, so good. My dad however is sound in his beliefs of the necessity of abstracting. Of course that’s a trade every artist has to master one time or another. Now, many years later rewriting this art statement I see the progression I made. Still figurative but now I can say I see art from both sides now. So I teach my students in order to paint in a realist style you have to think abstract. When you paint abstract then you have to think abstract.

What is Abstraction?

But what is abstract by the way? Only a word so a semantic discussion? To me it’s finding the essential forms, simpify things. It has been a search for not depictings things, even removing them once rendered with one sole purpose. That is to have the viewer still believe he or she is recognizing the meaning of it all. That js to say: without being disturbed by the non-depiction of non-essential things. Therefor I always have employed a right sense of anatomy and lighting. Then I can abstract the hell out of it.

50 Shades of Blue and Purple

As for the painting itself the goal was to come up with 50 shades of blue and purple. Not really much of an interesting lighting in this one. The reference picture wasn’t that great to begin with. There simply was too much diffuse lighting. The posture was intriguing though, hence the focus on colors only. Basically I was pulling all paints I had at that time from the shelf and try them out. Especially the blues, pinks and violets. The experiment was successful even though my kind of cubism evolved dramatically ever since. The latter is just a law of nature.

Click here to read about the sale of a print through icanvas.com. 

Oil on wood panel (51 x 66 x 0.9 cm)

Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: info@corneakkers.com