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 ‘Mi gudu’, acrylics on canvas, 33 cm wide x 32,6 cm high, from Reinier Asmoredjo.
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Mi gudu’, acrylic on canvas, 33 cm wide x 32.6 cm high, 2014 – USD 300 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang
Reinier Asmoredjo (Paramaribo, 1962) is an artist from the category ‘optimistic’. He deliberately ignores life’s problems. He wants to provide a counterbalance. He celebrates life, freedom, energy and, not in the least, women. He often does that symbolically. One of his most notable symbols is the circle. It represents the sun, but also the cycle of life. In many instances the round shape is associated with the round shapes of women. By painting the circle as though in movement, he once again underlines the positive connotation.
His rich color palette is striking. With it, Asmoredjo says that he wants to illustrate the cultural diversity of his homeland Suriname. Another possibility is that his theme does not tolerate any dark colors.
Reinier Asmoredjo may choose his colors lavishly, but in the actual use of paint he is more frugal. He applies his paint thinly, almost streak-free. Occasionally the canvas shines through. He probably does that to prevent his subject from disappearing behind a too prominent, and hence obviously present appearance. Composition, form, they may be important to him, but he most especially wants to tell his story. That doesn’t tolerate too much distraction.
‘The artist’s women’ are often depicted against a vibrant background or in a lively environment. In this work the emphasis is more on that one special woman. He lets intimacy in by limiting ‘noise’, by granting his ‘subject’ space. In that regard, the title of this work – ‘Mi gudu’ (My darling) – is rather self-explanatory.
TEXT Rob Perrée, Paramaribo, August 2015.
TRANSLATION Cassandra Gummels-Relyveld, 2015
Want to see this and other work of Reinier Asmoredjo ‘up close and personal’? That’s possible at Readytex Art Gallery, Steenbakkerijstraat 30, Paramaribo. www.readytexartgallery.com. For more information about Reinier Asmoredjo please visit the website http://readytexartgallery.com/reinierasmoredjo.
More work by Reinier Asmoredjo available in Readytex Art Gallery:
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Angisa’, acrylic on canvas, 33 cm wide x 32.7 cm high, 2014 – USD 300 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Markusa uma’, acrylic on canvas, 47 cm wide x 59 cm high, 2014 – USD 400 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Inspiration’, acrylic on canvas, 70 cm wide x 103 cm high, 2011 – USD 700 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Girls’, acrylic on canvas, 70 cm wide x 103 cm high, 2011 – USD 700 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Fat muje’, acrylic on canvas, 75 cm wide x 110 cm high, 2007 – USD 750 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang
A previous edition of An Eye for Art was published about ‘Skinny’.
Reinier Asmoredjo, ‘Skinny’, acrylic on canvas, 30 cm wide x 38 cm high, 2013 – USD 300 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang
Reinier Asmoredjo, painted bottle, acrylic on glass, 2006 – USD 100 / PHOTO Readytex Art Gallery/William Tsang
This edition of An Eye for Art has been sent as a RAG-mailing on August 26, 2015 and was published in Kunst en Cultuur in de Ware Tijd on August 26, 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.
