Since 2003, Henri Jacobs has been engaged in an ongoing series of drawings. These drawings, known as the Journal Drawings, originated from a project he undertook as a teacher. In this project, Jacobs instructed his students to depict anything that had a significant impact on them or caught their attention throughout a given day. Inspired by this exercise, he adopted it as a method for his own artistic practice, resulting in an ongoing collection of drawings. Within this series, he explores different motifs and forms, continuously abandoning them to make room for new research and experimentation.
Jacobs’s drawings showcase a virtuosic technique, skillfully executed yet playful. The images range from abstract geometric shapes and patterns to stylized portraits, landscapes, and architectural forms. Frequent allusions to art history and renowned artists such as Matisse and Jasper Johns also appear. Essentially, the Journal Drawings serve as a continual process of creative exploration, as Henri Jacobs constantly challenges himself to redefine and reinvent his drawings.
www.ftn-books.com has the van Abbemuseum catalog designed by Arlette Brouwers now available.
