The fascination in his early works leads to exuberant and colorful paintings and collages, adorned with decorative elements and gold paint. As time went on, the images became calmer, with larger forms and mysterious objects that would shine in the darkness. Bert Vredegoor recalls, “I noticed that my large paintings were getting darker because I wanted to evoke the suggestion of subtle sources of light. And because you start with a white canvas, that requires a lot of paint, time, and effort. I wanted to reverse this process: what if I start in the dark and let the light emerge? In my search to achieve this idea, I experimented with bleach on various materials. These experiments ultimately led me to velvet, as nothing is as deep black as black velvet. With a drop of chlorine solution, a beautiful golden light would appear in the black velvet. Technique and content suddenly came together because this chemical process, which literally created light in the darkness, perfectly reflected my theme: the search for enlightenment in a finite existence.”
www.ftn-books.com has some Vredegoor titles available.
