觀·點 — jan maarten voskuil 個展
文/ 虫二藝術 楊雅雯
創作理念：突破繪畫的邊界
Jan Maarten VOSKUIL 的創作突破了繪畫的邊界，將繪畫帶入三維空間，並將畫布切割成模組化結構，以新的形式重組。他改造畫框，使其成為一種空間構造，再進行張力處理，創造出光滑的曲面。他運用幾何學，尤其是圓形來設計框架，並搭配單色繪畫，展現了與六、七○年代極簡主義的相似性。透過這些空間結構，他打造了新穎且模組化的繪畫，突破自我設限，將作品擴展成融合了繪畫、雕塑、設計和建築邊界的豐富藝術實踐。
藝術家的創作演變
藝術家認為：「我的作品發展是由許多小步驟逐漸累積而成的，但回顧過去，我們可以用幾個主要階段來概括。我最初是一名具象、甚至寫實的畫家，熱衷於表現『明暗對比』(clair obscure)。」
從傳統到簡化的過程
作為傳統畫家，很快就會感受到歷史的重擔，像許多其他抽象畫家一樣，我開始用自己的方式進行簡化。我逐漸刪減現實中的部分內容，保留白色畫布，直到畫布只剩下白色。我不再畫明暗，而是通過將畫布拉伸到空間中來「具體化」明暗。
靈感來源與建築影響
後來，我又感受到更近期的歷史負擔–六、七十年代的零藝術團體，尤其是一些義大利藝術家，例如恩里科·卡斯特拉尼(Enrico Castelani)。我了解到卡斯特拉尼斯特拉尼原本是建築師後轉為畫家，而我決定走相反的路徑–成為從事建築的畫家。這是我創作模組化作品的動機之一。像建築一樣，我在設計圖紙上精確計算了這些作品。兩年間，我創作了僅有白色的模組作品。白色，是因為任何「故事」都需被簡化，而顏色本身也在講述故事。白色模組中，我保留了作品的可能性–不僅是畫中的內容，還包括畫本身的大小、形狀等特徵。
顏色的回歸與圓形作品
在圓形作品中，我首度再次使用顏色。這些圓形僅僅是作品尺寸的表現，顏色並不重要。像《紅色無意義》(Pointless Red)或《黃色無意義》(Pointless Yellow)這樣的標題表明了這一點。但通過這種方式，我得以重新使用顏色，毫無愧疚且盡情享受，因為一味的堅持並不是一切。從那時起，我也停止創作單一模組作品，轉而製作完整的繪畫。
新作：圓形的立體主義
《灰調平衡》(Balancing act in greys)、《立體主義的圓》(Cubist circle)以及《三者成群》(Three is a crowd)是圓形繪畫的最新發展。這些封閉的形態由四分之一圓或四分之一橢圓組成。橢圓也可被視為斜視角下的圓形–—個透視圓。因此，這些作品可以看作是圓形的立體主義表現。最終的形態如同被河流沖刷光滑的鵝卵石。
關鍵作品：《書寫的起源》
《書寫的起源》是本次展覽的關鍵作品。同樣，這四個個體形狀由『立體主義的圓』構成。形狀並未被繪畫，而是由模組組成，有些類似於我過去創作的白色模組。自然形態與未上色的亞麻布形成的幾何圖案形成對比。對我西方的眼睛而言，這些圖案讓我想起中文書寫系統。與西方書寫不同，中文字不僅是上下排列，還彼此『交織』。這促使我在作品中玩味形狀與顏色，它們既可能從作品中浮現，也可能從作品內部生成。我將這些作品稱為『誕生』(births)，但它們也可以被理解為字符。這些字母或字符又是我過去作品《愚蠢色彩的字母表》(The Alphabet of silly Colors, 2012/2013)系列的扭曲版本。
哲思與作品內涵
在《書寫的起源》中，包含了無盡的色彩、形狀、意義與故事的可能性，同時也存在白色亞麻布的空白與作品中心的完全空洞。創作這件作品的過程中，我感到目眩：一切從虛無中產生；二元性、陰陽、氣、禪、書法–這些都在其中，無意而為之，還是刻意如此呢？
Points of view: Solo Exhibition by Jan Maarten VOSKUIL
Interviewer: Bug 2 Gallery / Yang Ya-Wen
Breaking the Boundaries of Painting
Jan Maarten VOSKUILstretches the borders of painting by stretching it into the third
dimension and by cutting up the painting itself into modules. After he reconstructs the painting. He starts turning the stretcher bars into a spatial construction before it is tensioned. Smooth curved surfaces are created. The use of geometry, in particular the circle, in the design of the frame and playing with monochrome painting shows kinship with minimalism from the sixties and seventies. With the spatial constructions he builds new, often modular paintings in which he manages to circumvent self-imposed limitations and to expand his work into an elaborate oeuvre that explores the boundary between painting, sculpture, design and architecture.
The Evolution of His Artistic Journey
In his own words: “ The development of my work has been a gradual process of many small steps, but looking back it is possible to say something about it in a few major steps. I started out as a figurative, even realistic painter, with a passion for the “claire obscure,” the rendering of light and dark.
The Shift to Reductionism
As a traditional painter, you soon feel the ballast of history, and like many other abstract painters, I started reducing, in my own way. I was literally leaving out parts of reality, saving the white canvas. To the point that the canvas was only white. I now no longer painted the light-dark, but began to “concretize” it by stretching my canvases spatially.
Architectural Influences in His Work
Now I again experienced the ballast of history. A more recent history. The sixties and
seventies with the zero group and especially some Italian artists. In particular, Enrico
Castelani. I learned that Castelani was originally an architect who became a painter. I decided to take the opposite path. I would be a painter who will build. This is one of the motives for creating modular works. Works that, like architecture, are calculated at the drawing board.
The Role of White Modules
For two years I made only white modules. White, because any “story” had to be reduced and, after all, color also tells a story. In a white module I kept the promise, not only of what would be in the painting, but also what the painting itself would look like; how big, what shape, etc.
Reintroducing Color through
In the circle works, I used color again for the first time. The circles were nothing but a representation of the dimensions of the work itself. The color didn't really matter. Titles like “There is no point in red” or Pointless yellow” pointed this out, but through this back door I was able to allow color again; shamelessly and deliciously, because being consistent isn't everything either. Since then, I have also stopped making individual modules. The building has remained, but the paintings are now “finished”.
Recent Developments in Circle Paintings
The “Balancing act in greys,” “Cubist circle” and“Three is a crowd” are the most recent development in the circle paintings. The closed forms each consist of quarter circles or quarter ellipses. An ellipse is also called a circle seen at an angle. A perspective circle. So they are different perspectives of the same form; the circle. Thus they can also be seen as cubist representations of a circle. The final forms resemble stones smoothed by the river.
The core of 'The Origin of Script'
“The origin of script” is a key work in the exhibition. Again, the four individual forms consist of “cubist circles.” The shapes are not painted now, but consist of modules, a bit similar to the white modules I made in the past. The natural forms contrast with the geometric pattern created in the unpainted linen. To my Western eyes, this pattern is reminiscent of Chinese writing. Unlike Western writing, characters in Chinese are not only behind or below each other but also “in” each other. This prompts me to play with shapes and colors that can emerge from the work or rather, arise within the work itself. I call these works“births,” but they can also be understood as characters. These letters or characters are in turn distortions of another work from the past; the series The Alphabet of silly Colors”(2012/2013).
Promise
In “The origin of script” arises the promise of endless amount of color, form, meaning and story and at the same time there is the emptiness of the white linen and the completely empty center of the work. In making the work, it started to dizzying me; everything arises from nothing; duality, Yin and Yang, Chi, Zen, Caligraphy. It's all in there, unintentionally, or is it?”
藝術跨界的探險者—專訪Jan Maarten Voskuil
文/ 虫二藝術 楊雅雯
從具象到抽象的創作之路
「我的作品發展是一個由許多小步驟逐漸累積的過程，但回顧過去，可以用幾個主要階段來概括。」Jan Maarten Voskuil，在嘉義泰郁美學堂舉辦個展「觀•點」的荷蘭藝術家，坐在我對面，語氣平靜而堅定地說道。
Voskuil 最初以具象繪畫起步，尤其對「明暗對比」(claire obscure)——光與暗的表現形式著迷。他說：「那時我關注的是繪畫本身，而不是講述故事。」然而，隨著創作的深入，他逐漸感受到歷史的重擔。「作為傳統畫家，你很快會意識到歷史的負荷，於是我像許多其他抽象畫家一樣，開始嘗試簡化，用自己的方式去進行。」
空間與繪畫的結合
Voskuil的創作由此逐漸邁向抽象。他從現實中剔除不必要的元素，最終僅保留白色畫布。但即使是這樣的簡化，也無法滿足他對於創新的渴望。「我開始將畫布拉伸到空間中，讓它變得立體，這是一種對明暗進行『具體化』的方式。」
這一過程帶領他進一步探索畫布與框架的關係。他不再將框架僅作為承載畫布的結構，而是將其轉化為空間構造的一部份。他開始重建畫框，讓他在空間中產生張力，創造出光滑的曲面。通過幾何設計，特別是圓形，Voskuil結合單色繪畫，展現了與六、七十年代極簡主義的相似性。
建築對創作的影響
「我在創作時，也感受到來自現代藝術史的重擔，尤其是零藝術（Zero group）和義大利藝術家恩里科•卡斯特拉尼（Enrico Castelani）的影響。」Voskuil發現，卡斯特拉尼從建築師轉型為藝術家，這激發了他反向的靈感：作為一位藝術家，他希望能夠「建造」。這一想法促使他設計出模組化的作品，像建築一樣，這些作品在圖紙上被精確計算，在被拼接、組裝。他在兩年間創作了許多純白模組作品，藉此徹底簡化作品中的「故事」。
從白色到色彩的回歸
在圓形的作品中，Voskuil 首次重新使用顏色。「這些圓形僅僅是作品尺寸的表現，顏色並不重要。」他用諷刺的標題如《紅色無意義》(Pointless Red) 或 《黃色無意義》（Pointless Yellow）來強調這一點。然而，這也為他帶來了一種新自由，使他可以毫無負擔地再次享受色彩帶來的存粹樂趣。
從那時起，他逐漸停止單一模組的創作，而是開始製作完整的繪畫作品，並進一步探索圓形結構的可能性。他最近的作品如《灰調平衡》（Balancing act in greys）、《立體主義的圓》（Cubist circle）和《三者成群》（Three is a crowd），則運用了四分之一圓或橢圓的封閉形態，最終的形狀如同被河流沖刷光滑的鵝卵石。
展覽中的關鍵作品：《書寫的起源》
「《書寫的起源》是本次展覽的核心作品。」Voskuil說道。這件作品由四個模組化的「立體主義圓」組成，形狀與自然形式交織，並與未上色的亞麻布幾何圖案形成對比。
「對我西方的眼睛而言，這些圖案讓我聯想到中文書寫系統。」他解釋道，中文字不僅是上下排列，還相互交織，這促使他在作品中探索形狀和顏色如何在內部生成。他將這些作品稱為「誕生」（births），但也可以理解為字符。
這些字符的靈感來源於他2012/2013年的系列作品《愚蠢的顏色字母表》(The Alphabet of Silly Colors)，而這些模組作品的核心則在於空白與色彩的雙重性。「一切從虛無中產生；二元性、陰陽、氣與禪意，這些都在其中，或許是無意為之，也可能是刻意而為。」
在藝術史上的傳承與創新
Voskuil的作品深受蒙德里安（Piet Mondrian）與汎•杜斯伯格（Theo van Doesburg）的影響，但他進一步結合了曲線與模組化設計，創造出前所未有的藝術形式。蒙德里安以水平與垂直線條創作，而汎•杜斯伯格則採用斜線的動態表現。Voskuil則在此基礎上引入了數學精準的曲線，並將畫布切割為模組，創造出三維結構，成為當代「風格派 」（De Stijl）的重要繼承者。
他的創作在形式與結構上都表現出對「形狀繪畫」（shaped canvans）的推進與革新。他說：「藝術不僅僅是視覺的享受，他更是思想的實踐。」
作為藝術史的叛逆者與開拓者
Voskuil的創作不僅是對傳統藝術形式的挑戰，更是一場對藝術史的深刻反思。他的模組化作品打破了繪畫與雕塑的界限，探索繪畫、建築與設計之間的相互關係。在他的系列作品中，他更進一步引入「虛空」，將模組之間的空白轉化為作品的重要組成部分。
這種對虛空的探索，讓他作品在視覺與哲學層面都有了更深層次的意義。他認為：「真正的藝術永遠不會被淘汰，它存在於人類思想與情感的核心。」
藝術的無限可能性
Jan Maarten Voskuil 的創作超越了繪畫的邊界，將其帶入建築、雕塑與設計之中，探索藝術的無限可能性。他的作品不僅是視覺上的享受，更是對形式與空間的深刻思考，讓觀眾感受到藝術無界的魅力。
The Explorer of Artistic Boundaries
- An Interview with Jan Maarten Voskuil
Interviewer: Bug 2 Gallery / Yang Ya-Wen
From Figurative to Abstract Art
"The development of my work has been a gradual process of many small steps, but looking back it is possible to say something about it in a few major steps," says Jan Maarten Voskuil. The Dutch artist, currently holding a solo exhibition "Points of View: The Origin of Script" at Taiyu Beaux Art Salon in Chiayi, sits across from me, his tone calm yet firm.
Voskuil began his artistic journey with figurative painting, particularly drawn to the interplay of light and shadow known as "claire obscure." "Back then, my focus was purely on the act of painting itself, not on storytelling," he recalls. However, as his work progressed, he began to feel the weight of art history. "As a traditional painter, you soon feel the ballast of history. Like many abstract painters, I started simplifying in my own way."
Merging Space and Painting
This shift led Voskuil toward abstraction. He gradually removed elements of reality from his work until only the white canvas remained. But even this simplification did not fully satisfy his drive for innovation. "I started stretching my canvases spatially, giving them a three-dimensional form. It was a way to concretize light and dark," he explains.
This process prompted him to explore the relationship between canvas and frame. Rather than treating the frame as a mere support, he transformed it into an integral part of the spatial structure. By reconstructing and adding tension to the stretcher bars, he created smooth, curved surfaces. Using geometric designs, particularly circles, combined with monochromatic painting, Voskuil's work evokes a kinship with 1960s and 1970s minimalism.
Architectural Influences
"I also felt the burden of more recent art history, particularly the Zero group and Italian artist Enrico Castellani," Voskuil explains.
Discovering that Castellani transitioned from architecture to art inspired Voskuil to take the opposite path: as an artist, he sought to "build." This led to his creation of modular works, precisely calculated and assembled like architectural structures. Over two years, he produced numerous white modular pieces, reducing the "story" within his works to its essence.
Returning to Color
In his circular works, Voskuil reintroduced color for the first time. "These circles were simply representations of the dimensions of the work. The color didn't matter," he notes. With ironic titles like "There is no point in red" or "Pointless yellow," he emphasized this idea. Yet, this approach also granted him a newfound freedom to embrace color once more, unapologetically and joyfully.
Since then, he has moved away from creating individual modules, instead producing fully realized paintings. His recent works, such as "Balancing Act in Greys," "Cubist Circle," and "Three is a Crowd," feature closed shapes composed of quarter circles or ellipses, resembling stones smoothed by rivers.
A Key Work: "The Origin of Script"
"The Origin of Script" serves as the centerpiece of this exhibition. Comprised of four modular "cubist circles," the work juxtaposes natural forms with geometric patterns on unpainted linen.
"To my Western eyes, these patterns evoke Chinese writing," Voskuil explains. Unlike Western scripts, Chinese characters are not only arranged horizontally or vertically but also interwoven. This inspired him to play with shapes and colors that emerge within the work itself. He describes these pieces as "births," which can also be interpreted as characters.
The inspiration for these characters stems from his earlier series "The Alphabet of Silly Colors" (2012/2013). Central to these modular works is the interplay between color and emptiness, challenging the viewer to consider the duality within.
Heritage and Innovation in Art History
Deeply inspired by Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg, Voskuil carries forward the De Stijl movement while introducing new dimensions with curves and modularity. Mondrian's rigid horizontal and vertical lines, paired with van Doesburg's dynamic diagonals, set the stage for Voskuil to introduce mathematically precise curves, carving his place as a contemporary torchbearer of this artistic legacy.
Through his work, Voskuil bridges the gap between shaped canvas innovations pioneered by Frank Stella and the minimalist traditions of the 20th century. "Art is not merely for visual pleasure; it is a practice of thought," he asserts.
A Rebel and Innovator in Art History
Voskuil's art transcends traditional boundaries, serving as both a critique and expansion of the artistic canon. His modular creations blur the lines between painting, sculpture, and architecture, while his exploration of "voids" in recent works adds a profound philosophical dimension.
By challenging conventions and creating new paradigms, Voskuil exemplifies the role of an artist as a thinker and innovator. "True art is never obsolete; it resides in the core of human thought and emotion," he concludes.
The Boundless Possibilities of Art
Jan Maarten Voskuil's creations transcend the boundaries of painting, blending elements of architecture, sculpture, and design. His work is not only a visual delight but also a profound exploration of form and space, inviting audiences to experience the limitless potential of art.