The Intersection of Beauty and Emotion in Van Zyl’s Work

Deviled eggs, a deceased mosquito, the taut bud of a peony, or toes tucked into sandals: Ina van Zyl presents delicate, still-life-esque paintings of everyday objects that are often overlooked. However, when Van Zyl depicts them, they demand our undivided attention. Subtly captured on the canvas as images, one can sense that they are not solely about beauty or ugliness. In fact, they offer a glimpse into the world beyond them. Each piece, whether it be a portrait or self-portrait, is an attempt to grasp this world.

Born in Ceres, South Africa in 1971, Van Zyl grew up in South Africa and studied visual art at the University of Stellenbosch. She initially had a passion for drawing comic strips, but later turned to painting when she came to the Netherlands in the mid 1990s to attend De Ateliers. Instead of creating narrative scenes, like in comics, Van Zyl found herself drawn to singular objects and honed in on them. These objects have an independent presence on the canvas, appearing larger than life and expertly framed, detached from their contexts.

Van Zyl’s fascination with a subject – whether it be a seemingly insignificant everyday item, a landscape, or a portrait – often stems from the contradictory emotions it evokes. She is attracted to the combination of power and fragility in a budding flower, or to the deep black hue of an almost ripe plum. Her works are rather sensuous, painted meticulously with precision. However, as viewers, we can pick up on the underlying tension that symbolizes something greater. Van Zyl infuses each painting with emotions and memories that can evoke a universal feeling or a sense of longing and discomfort. This is often hinted at in her titles. For example, “Mort” for the dead mosquito, where the delicate insignificance of the insect takes on a grand significance. And “Little Orgasm” for the tenderly depicted tiny carnation, which inevitably evokes thoughts of sexuality and puberty.

In her work, Van Zyl often incorporates recurring themes of strength and vulnerability, life and death, and longing and fear. One such theme is the use of protea, South Africa’s national flower, which serves as a powerful symbol of the country’s tumultuous history. In some pieces, such as Proteus Erectus (2010), the protea stands proudly upright, evoking images of male genitalia and suggesting aggression. Yet in others, like Skaamrosie Teen Skemer (2009), shame and discomfort are conveyed as the flower hangs downward. This symbol of national pride also becomes a witness to the injustices of apartheid and racism in South Africa.

Despite her unconventional use of narrative, each of Van Zyl’s paintings conveys a deep sense of history and emotion. Portraits, such as Anton (2021), are particularly notable for their intense exploration of identity and relationships. In this piece, Van Zyl’s friend is depicted in a confrontational manner, bursting off the canvas and gazing both inwardly and outwardly. The emotional detachment of the artist is evident in her use of a diverse color palette, which conveys both contrast and balance through shades of purple, green, blue, and orange. This amalgamation of discordant elements results in a striking abstract portrait that simultaneously captures the essence of the subject and conveys a sense of weight and complexity. In her succinct yet enigmatic body of work, Van Zyl skillfully blends the personal and the abstract, creating an intriguing leitmotif that leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.

www.ftn-books.com has almost all van Zyl titles avcailable