An Eye for Art: Wilgo Vijfhoven – ‘Bamboe′

In collaboration with art critic Rob Perrée, Readytex Art Gallery has developed an informative initiative: An Eye for Art. Once every two weeks Rob Perrée discusses a work of art from the collection of Readytex Art Gallery. This week he talks about ‘Bamboe’ [Bamboo], acrylics on canvas, 75 cm wide x 139 cm high, 2012, by Wilgo Vijfhoven.

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Bamboe’ [Bamboo], acryl on canvas, 75 cm wide x 139 cm high, 2012, from the exhibition ‘Rood’ [Red] – USD 700 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

From this fairly large work that bears the sober title ‘Bamboe’ [Bamboo] (2012), it is clear that for  Vijfhoven beauty goes beyond that of women only. He is impressed by the beauty of nature in general. In this specific example, of the bamboo plant.

The painting appears to be a simple portrayal of the reality, but that is not what it is. The artist has searched for ways to emphasize the beauty. In the first place he chooses to paint the image of a detail. In doing so he forces the viewer to take a better look. Aside from that he also wants to convey a certain atmosphere, an almost poetic atmosphere. That is why he puts a yellow haze over the work. And finally he chooses to add, to the painting that is executed in only a few colors, some minimal accents in red to thus draw attention to it. A young robin on a branch and several bamboo leaves that have turned red. The little bird even gets an extra treatment. The white spot places it in the limelight. Here Vijfhoven manipulates reality, seduces the viewer, in order to reach his goal.

This painting has a sibling, ‘Bamboe II’ [Bamboo II], which is done on an even more elongated canvas. That confirms that Vijfhoven has used the shape of his work to strengthen his subject.

The painting of nature is a classic genre in art history. Landscapes were often used to give religious themes a framework or to depict romantic life concepts. The attention for nature was often an excuse for something else. It looks as though Vijfhoven goes for nature without ulterior motives.

TEXT Rob Perrée, Amsterdam, March 2015

TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2015

Want to see this and other work of Wilgo Vijfhoven ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Wilgo Vijfhoven please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/wilgovijfhoven.

More work by Wilgo Vijfhoven available in Readytex Art Gallery:

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Bamboe II’, acryl on canvas, 20 cm wide x 90 cm high, 2012, from the exhibition ‘Rood’ [Red] – USD 250 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Pauw’ [Peacock], acryl on canvas, 48.2 cm wide x 139.5 cm high, 2012, from the exhibition ‘Rood’ [Red] – USD 600 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘The First …’, acryl on canvas, 65 cm wide x 111 cm high, 2014 – USD 600 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Swinging Beauty’, acrylic on canvas, 80 cm wide x 100 cm high, 2012 – USD 600 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Model’, acrylic on canvas, 73 cm wide x 109 cm high, 2009 – USD 750 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Kotomisi’, acrylic on canvas, 60 cm wide x 130 cm high, 2010 – USD 675 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

Wilgo Vijfhoven, ‘Sfeer III’, mixed media on canvas, 71 cm wide x 101 cm high, 2009 – USD 650 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang

This edition of An Eye for Art has been sent as a RAG-mailing on April 8, 2015 and was published in Kunst en Cultuur in de Ware Tijd on April 8, 2015.

Because really looking at art and understanding art are not always obvious and easy to do, we hope that these regular reviews will at least offer you some insight into the process.  You will get to see how a connoisseur looks at art, discusses it, and then links the work to others within the international art world.

Of course you can only truly judge a work of art when you are actually standing in front of it yourself. We therefore hope to see you soon in Readytex Art Gallery  and are eager to hear what you think of this artwork, and which other works of art you find yourself drawn to. Please note that the artworks discussed are still available for purchase at the time that the review is published.

Rob Perrée is art historian and works as freelance writer, art critic and curator, specialized in contemporary (Afro-) American art, African art, Surinamese art and art using new media. His work has appeared in countless catalogues, books, magazines and newspapers. He is editor of Sranan Art Xposed, editor in chief of Africanah.org and a member of the editing team of Pf Photo Magazine. His website: http://robperree.com.