The Dutch landscape has inspired artists for centuries. Piet Mondrian too had a keen eye for the nature around him. Although he became best known for his abstract compositions, early in his career he mainly painted landscapes. Some of his early works will be on display at the Mondrian House from 5 June 2021, together with works by contemporary artists, each of whom capture the landscape in their own unique way.
In 2021, the Netherlands will bring a ode to the landscape. The Mondrian House follows this up with an exhibition bringing together landscapes by the hand of Piet Mondrian, with landscapes by contemporary artists: Suus Kooijman, John Rabbit, Frans Kanters, Gerco de Ruijter and David Pronk.
Suus Kooijman
Suus Kooijman uses an ancient technique involving wax and pigments (encaustic) for her work. The material is applied to panels of wood. The landscapes created under her hands are intriguing because they are at once revealing and concealing. Much is left to the viewer's gaze. Kooijman made a series focusing on the Eem in Amersfoort. A selection from this series can be seen in the Mondriaan House.
John Rabbit
John Rabbit (b 1979) paints because he has to. For him, it is a way of keeping a grip on the confusing world we live in. Landscape is an important theme for Konijn, both rural and urban. When he had a studio overlooking the river Eem, the painter made an entire series of the landscape he saw from his window. A modest selection of these can be seen at the Mondrian House. His work is characterised by a loose style, intense colour schemes and a great sense of atmosphere.
Frans Kanters
Photographer Frans Kanters (1964) looks. Looking into the landscape is a necessary nourishment for him. It calms his mind. For over 20 years, photography has been his way of transforming the experience of looking into an artistic image. Frans Kanters lives and works from Amersfoort. He captured the landscape in this area countless times. His autonomous work is in black and white. Without colour, the receiver can absorb the image more freely, is his contention. The photographer is always searching for the silence in an image. Lines and emptiness characterise his work.
Gerco de Ruijter
Since the second half of the 1980s, artist-photographer Gerco de Ruijter (1961) the landscape. Attaching his camera to kites, balloons and fishing rods, he captures the world from viewpoints that differ from our usual perspective. In De Ruier's enigmatic and almost abstract landscapes, the human scale competes with nature and recognition goes hand in hand with alienation. In his photography, the traditional landscape image takes on a new dimension.
David Pronk
Interest in the urban landscape is at David Pronk (1989) originated in his native Rotterdam. In this centre of modern architecture, he developed a keen eye for light and dark, lines and composition early on. Pronk still likes to choose the Randstad for his photography, but he has also captured several compositions in the Amersfoort Vinex district Vathorst, where he lived until recently. In a combination of technical knowledge and intuition, he captures the built environment in such a way as to create intriguing abstractions.
Additional activities
A variety of activities will be organised around the exhibition:
Sunday, June 6: Museum Youth University with Frans Kanters
Saturday, June 12: Meet & Greet with Suus Kooijman
Sunday: 27 June: Meet & Greet with John Rabbit
Friday, July 9: Workshop Ode to the landscape
Friday, August 13: Painting and plein air
Friday: August 20: Meet & Greet with John Rabbit
Saturday: August 21: Meet & Greet with Frans Kanters
Saturday, September 11: Meet & Greet with Suus Kooijman
Sunday, September 26: Lecture Frans Kanters: The image behind the horizon
Sunday, October 3: Meet & Greet with David Pronk
Friday, October 8: Meet & Greet with Gerco de Ruijter
Friday, October 29: Lecture: Mondrian - Ode to the landscape
Mondrian route
Would you like to walk with Mondrian yourself? Then follow in his footsteps and walk past the places where he lived or worked. There are beautiful hiking trails developed that go through the Dutch landscape, but also one through Paris and even one through New York!