Spring of Drawing; Helder, The Hague

Stephan van den Burg

Stephan van den Burg

Marena Seeling

At first sight Helder’s present show may look unassuming, but to an extent it is a kind of statement about the diversity and combination of drawings it wants to present.

Marena Seeling

Romy Muijrers

Romy Muijrers

They range from the works purely drawn from the use of basic graphic techniques, to lyrical or socio-politically motivated drawings.

Romy Muijrers

Sigrid van Woudenberg

Harry Markusse

Helder has a special interest in artists who combine thinking and making, technique and lyricism and not in the kind of expressionism that seems to come right from the gut.

Harry Markusse

Maryanto

Niels Janssen

As such Spring of Drawing shows a great diversity of drawings that combine very well.

Niels Janssen

Niels Janssen

Guy Vording

Go and take a look if you don’t believe it (and if you do…).

Guy Vording

Sigrid van Woudenberg

[Click on the pictures to enlarge]

© Villa Next Door 2017

Content of all pictures courtesy to the artists and Helder gallery, The Hague.

Bertus Pieters

Bekroond (Crowned), WTC The Hague Art Gallery, The Hague

Maarten van Soest

World Trade Centre The Hague has a small art gallery, like many official or representative institutions. Works on show at WTC are usually surprisingly good and the present show is no exception. On show are works by four young artists who were awarded prizes last year or who were nominees, as well as by four other artists.

Jouni Toni

However, the gallery space itself is far more problematic. When I visited, two of the three works by Jouni Toni (Royal Prize for free painting) were victim of the sharp midwinter afternoon sunshine.

Jouni Toni

And please ladies and gentlemen, Toni’s works are far too good and refined to hang them askew!

Jonas Raps

Comparing, Jonas Raps’ paintings (Heden Start Prize and nominee Piketprijs) are in a better position. The honoured artists all make colourful paintings but the presentation of their works by the gallery doesn’t really match a usual arts fair presentation.

Harry Markusse

Probably not much more is possible, but one would grant such wonderful paintings as Harry Markusse’s (nominee Royal Prize)

Maarten van Soest

 

Maarten van Soest

and Maarten van Soest’s (nominee Royal Prize) a bit more. Both artists make very fresh looking hardcore abstract paintings.

Wim Warrink

The exhibition has a sub-exhibition called Lichting ’15 (Class of ’15) with four artists who graduated last summer. The presented works by these artists are remarkably less coloured, but not less colourful.

Nora Axnick (left), Joyce ter Weele (right)

There is only one work by Nora Axnick which might have come out better in another context. In spite of its dimensions it differs too much from the very strong works by the other artists.

Romy Muijrers

The other works are by Romy Muijrers, whose works already stood out in her graduation show last year,

Joyce ter Weele

Joyce ter Weele whose works look at first glance a bit like abstract Muijrers (or the other way round) and

Wim Warrink

Wim Warrink, whose work (which was already present at last year’s Art The Hague) deserves a presentation of its own.

Wim Warrink

The sub-exhibition is, without too much direct daylight, better presented than the works of the four painters.

Jouni Toni

[Click on the pictures to enlarge]

Bertus Pieters