World Fine Art Professionals and their Key-Pieces, 304 - Liesbeth Sevenhuijsen

World Fine Art Professionals and their Key-Pieces, 304 – Liesbeth Sevenhuijsen
Liesbeth Sevenhuijsen started, 20 years ago, translating photos into paint. For the past three years she has given herself free rein and her work consists of a game of line and form.

I speak to Liesbeth Sevenhuijsen at the exhibition ‘De Vrije Hand’ (The Free Hand) in the MLB gallery. There is work by five artists of ‘De Onafhankelijken’ (The Independents), including that of Liesbeth.

Spanish Plateau
She used to start working on the basis of photos of landscapes, parks and nature. The photo was transformed into paint. From an early age nature drew her, its tranquility, the plants, the organic forms. When I immersed myself in her work I also saw desert landscapes pass by.

When I ask her, those desert landscapes turn out to be inspired by the Spanish Plateau, the meseta. “In 2004/05 I worked in Spain for three months as an artist-in-residence. I have also traveled there, through the dry landscape. That really affected me. What also struck me was the contrast between the dry plains and mountains and the parks, perfectly controlled nature. I find the contrast between uncontrollability and the pursuit of perfect control interesting. “

Charcoal
When asked about a key work, a tilting work, she mentions a work that she made during her education, the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. It is a large painting of 2.5 by 2.0 with a tranquil image of a minimal lawn where the light strikes.

And there is still a piece of a park to see. It was originally a photo. “It is special that you see potential in a small image, that you have sensed it. That you translate that into paint and that it then comes to life. That process has always fascinated me. I’ve been working on it for years. Before that I tried everything, but this really got to me ”. She was also stimulated by the work of the German artist Gerhard Richter, who has connected photography and painting in a groundbreaking way.

But now her work has taken a different turn. “For the past three years or so, I had a great need to take more freedom.” A number of these new works can be seen at the exhibition. A very large drawing with colored lines, smaller drawings in black and white. “I like to use charcoal. That is a very flexible material. ”
She does it with the baggage she has, in particular notions of space and light. “You can do a lot with that in abstraction.” Where she previously transformed another image painterly, she now has no image at hand at the beginning. “That is a radical change. It gradually gives me more ideas, I can follow my own associations. ”

Growing in it
Liesbeth Sevenhuijsen studied painting and drawing at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy from 1994 to 1999. Before that she did something completely different. As a graduated pedagogue she worked in the Youth Assistance. The Rietveld Academy was an old dream. “I entered a completely new world. Because I started late, I was insecure for a long time. But if you notice that the talent is there, you grow in it. ”

How is her experience with art life? “It’s fun in Amsterdam, it’s wonderful to interact with your colleagues. For another part it is also a bit laborious. The interest of people who view your art is usually not very deep, I even notice that in Arti et Amicitae, of which I am a member. I have the impression that in Germany the interest in art is different than in the Netherlands, more seriously. Even more could be done in the Netherlands to involve the public in art, to promote dialogue between artist and public.

The Open Ateliers are a good example of this. Then you have nice conversations and that has always yielded something to me. ”
Images
1) Green 1, 2) El desierto, 3) abstract – movement – spaces, 4) abstract, 5) n.t. park key work, 6) in passing, 7) approaching thunderstorm, 8) path, 9) shadow, 10) n.t. path

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