Page 21 - Art-In-Vogue

 AMNEStY (ONLY THE SAvED ONE IS LAUgHINg), 1988 gOUACHE 23,5X31 IN. /60X80 CM. «

“Ehret die Frauen! Sie flechten und weben Himmlische Rosen ins irdische a few steps ahead of the vogue. As from that moment his illustrated
Leben …“ (Honour the women! They plait and weave heavenly roses in observations, based on objective social criticism, have become
this earthy life…) exceptionally intriguing, sometimes even ambiguous. See ‘shooting
smokers’.
These lines from a poem of Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) cited
in his 87th year by Rien vörgers, remain in his heart since he was a By experimenting with all kinds of different sizes of coloured cardboard
little boy, growing up in the East of The Netherlands, near the german pieces, he initiated a method of creating images, consisting of forms
border, where cultural ties are not bound to specific nationalistic that appear transparent on the surface, are yet painted next to each
sentiments. This artist is definitely not a womanizer, but a sincere other, but look as if they overlap. In progressive photography images
admirer of woman’s unbroken strength, her bondage, her empathic can indeed overlap each other, but that became in vogue at least a
mind and her unwavering conviction that righteousness should prevail. decennium later. No one has as yet clearly understood how Rien came
See ‘women in function’. to the astounding production of this kind of art. Remarkable is his gift
Being a romantic, Rien was at first true to painting in water colours: of finding harmonious tones, exactly matching each other within the
portraits and landscapes. sometimes more than twenty colours of a painting. Every single one
takes him hours to mix for the use of just one painting. That’s how he
A teacher at the Art Academy in Enschede stated once that his water makes every image a coherent and expressive novel of its own.
colours exhaled the atmosphere of “magic realism”. But around 1980,
when a dramatically change in the art world occurred and when a His mosaic style of painting could be explained publicly by Rien in 1993
re-orientation in contemporary art took place, Rien had already for some during an interview on the regional television sender, which might
years mused upon a new way of abstract expression. Since individuality have shown other artists the way of a new manner of abstraction
in art had become world-wide accepted several decennia earlier as within realism.
the norm something had to be done, in his opinion. His opinion was
that losing the possibility of showing thoughts and circumstances in a Due to physical disablements Rien vörgers now lives like a hermit.
tangible way, understandable for the consumer of modern art, never However, he got to know how society works throughout his long life full
minding the preferences of the mighty and the rich, had been a fashion of activities within the world of glass building. He acquired also wisdom
that had served its purpose and should now be avoided. by recommending architects and construction companies on how to
use colours on the outside of their buildings. His dear attachment to
Rien’s delicate nature does not permit him to paint with rough strokes: enforcing mankind’s future in a positive sense, encouraging observers
his subjects are standing out precisely and in detailed compositions, of his pictures to think about the background of what is shown in the
expressing his private feelings and views that are inspired on what foreground, remains his main source of energy. The tree with branches
society in all its various manifestations offers him. Here he is in tune designed like barriers: a tree offers shelter, but everybody sees him/
with Benedictus XvI’s desire, that art should play the role of a binding herself once in a while standing before a barrier. See ‘Barrier’.
part in society. Rien’s paintings treat a fundamental aspect in society,
there where human coherence is at stake. In 1978, when he created Although his painstaking way of painting requires much time, in the last
a completely new way of expression: his mosaic style, Rien walked thirty years, Rien’s mosaic styled paintings mount to more than 300.
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