WALTER VAN OEL

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Walter van Oel takes great pride in the name 'colourist'. This is an artist whose message takes full meaning only with and through colour. Upon entering a room with his works, one can't escape the buzzing fascination. We are literally hit by a vast array of colours. Colours as energy. At times the energy is subdued, at other times the energy vibrates from the shock of contrast. Interestingly, the shades and combinations of Van Oel's colourful world are simple. What stands out is the choice of tones, and in particular the stunning, metallic brilliance that emerges from them. It is as if there is some secret alchemy at the basis of Van Oel’s use of colour. Like the colours come from an enriched pigment dug from deep down. Truly outstanding. Yet, in the quality of the artist’s works, there is more than a simple play with colours. There is also texture, used as a colour-enhancing device.

Van Oel often paints on crumpled aluminium sheets in mono- or multi-chromatic bright tones. The impact of natural light or, even better, artificial lighting, brings the whole painting to life, creating the luminescent impression of shimmering lights, producing an unprecedented effect. Walter van Oel is also fond of calligraphy, which operates in his works on two levels: as personal expression, and as a reworking of existing cultural signs. Signs with no other meaning than that most primal one: a declaration of ‘being’.

In short, Walter van Oel is a great contemporary artist. He inherits the simplicity of the best Mondrians and Minimalists. His brush has the energetic power of abstract Expressionists. Yet his paintings are neither simple nor abstract.

COLLECTIONS

PRIVATE MUSEUM Dr. OEI HONG DJIEN – MAGELANG

DELOITTE

UNIQUE

ALEX MULDER, BELGIUM

CATHY SAMPOERNA, JAKARTA

SUNARJO SAMPOERNA, SURABAYA

EDWIN SAMPOERNA, SINGAPORE

ARMA MUSEUM, UBUD – BALI

CHRISTIANTO TJAHJADI, BALI

MUSEUMS

Singer Museum, Laren

Stedelijk Museum, Kampen show

Jan van der Togt Museum, Amstelveen

ARMA Museum, Bali

Museum National, Jakarta

MONOGRAPHY

WALTER VAN OEL, Frans Duister, Text. English, French, Dutch. ISBN 90 71082 23-7

WALTER VAN OEL. CHINAPROJECT, Wim J. van der Beek,Text. English, Dutch. ISBN 90 805182-1-2

OOG IN OOG, English, Dutch, Ruvert Ophorst, Cobra Museum, Amstelveen

WALTER VAN OEL, Jean Couteau and Wim J. van der Beek,Text. English, Indonesia Sharon’s Co., Bali.

ARTICLE

Article by Jean Couteau. Couteau is one of the most important chroniclers of Balinese society in the last 30 years as well as an internationally acknowledged art critic and journalist

For further information contact Artipico Art Gallery, tel +31(0)6 51922582 or contact Art Gallery Voûte by using the contact form.