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Erwin Olaf (1959-2023)

Erwin Olaf has passed away at the age of 64, his management informed the ANP news agency. He was one of the most famous photographers in the Netherlands. Olaf has been suffering from emphysema for many years and a few weeks ago he underwent a lung transplant.
Erwin Olaf started out as a documentary photographer, but he later focused on stage photography.

The family said in a statement that Wednesday morning’s death was unexpected. Although he recovered after a lung transplant, Olaf “suddenly became unwell and resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.”

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Carlo Carra ( 1911-1966)

Futurism is Carrà’s first major artistic period. His research into dynamism and colour theory resulted in his masterpieces such as The Funeral of the Anarchist Galli in 1911, Woman on the Balcony in 1912, Plastic Transcendences in 1912

In 1916, just after the end of the First World War, his meeting in Ferrara with de Chirico and De Pisis led him to abandon Futurism and approach Metaphysical poetics. It was with these two artists that he established the theoretical principles of Metaphysical painting.

After a style initially influenced by that of De Chirico, he developed a very personal language with solitary and suspended atmospheres. Perfect examples of this new language are the paintings Mother and Child (1917), The Engineer’s Lover (1921) and The Pine Tree by the Sea (1921). This change led him to approach 14th- and 15th-century art, with references to Giotto and Masaccio.

From 1918, he began writing for the magazine ‘Valori Plastici’, so it is not surprising that in 1920 he began to paint according to the strict terms of the Novecento Italiano, also taking part in the 1926 and 1929 exhibitions at the Palazzo della Permanente in Milan.

Carrà continued to paint frantically until his death in 1966 in Milan following an illness.

www.ftn-books.com has several titles on Carra now available.

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Domenico Bianchi (1955)

Bianchi seeks the harmony of the elements by identifying the spatial dimension that emerges naturally from the combination of lines, shapes and volumes, emerging from the exaltation of material, its manipulation and essence properties that are the origin of true expression in the artist’s work. To do. From sophisticated research-driven combinations. The two monumental marble seats were originally designed in the cloister of the 17th-century Donna Regina Vecchia church to match its rich Baroque style, but are now recreated in his 18th-century Madre atrium. arranged to emphasize its typical neoclassical lines. At the same time, it proposes a new definition of space, an invitation to linger and contemplate. Beyond direct references to the art historical tradition, these two works raise questions related to the spatial and structural purpose of the work and its relationship to its surroundings, and are evocative and sensitive. It is symbolic of the way an artist works because it lives in the work in a way.

www.ftn-books.com has several Bianchi books available.

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Gianni Bertini (1922)

He was born in Pisa on August 31, 1922 and graduated from the city with a degree in pure mathematics. Gianni his Bertini made his debut as a painter in 1946 and chose the path of abstraction because, as he himself puts it, “I gave the events of the war a real meaning, so I am a non-representative.” It has become something of a standard.u201d Cycles, griddies used stamped letters and numbers. After a short stay in Rome, he settled in Milan in 1950, where he made contact with the MAC of Monnier, Dolfres, Munari and Soldati. During this year, he mainly produced works with a graphic aspect. It consists of the juxtaposition of contrasting elements such as positive and negative, black and white, and dotted lines, which led him to study the world of line and space, as well as the mechanical aspects of animating animation. rice field. He deepens its composition and decomposition. In 1951 he was invited to two exhibitions devoted to Italian abstract art. “Abstract and Representational Art” at the Museum of Modern Art in Rome, and “Panorama of Italian Abstract Art” at the Bonpiani Museum in Milan from 1915 to 1951. Next, he creates paintings that make extensive use of dripping. Presented in October 1951 at the Numero Gallery in Florence, these works are among his first representations of informal painting made in Italy. They later came to be called nuclear paints. At the end of 1951 he moved to Paris and in May 1952 his first solo exhibition in Paris was held at the Galerie Arnault.

http://www.ftn-books.com has the galerie Thorigny catalog now available.

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Renie Spoelstra (1974)

The intention of the huge charcoal drawings of Renie Spoelstra is to let the viewer experience an atmosphere of deliberate apathy; hours and days go by in a split second, every moment frozen in time and every moment equal to the other. Consequently, characteristics of actual observations are diminished, making the unique more common and indefinite, so that they can function as a substitute for many similar places.

Renie Spoelstra’s arduous process of drawing always begins with a journey. For close to a decade, she has travelled to coasts, lakes and forests throughout North America and Europe, looking for landscapes that evoke overwhelming existential feelings.

Spoelstra uses film footage as a starting point for her charcoal drawings. The suede like and velvety texture is achieved by the many layers of charcoal, which are skillfully positioned on top of each other to re-create an almost cinematographic scene. The balance between darkness and soft beams of light is rendered through the many shades of black and grey, creating a notion that something may be lurking below the surface.

Themes of intensity, secrecy and mystery are reoccurring in Spoelstra’s works. There is an alluring and mythical feel of a place. The series ‘Stretching Universe’ refers to the scientific fact that our universe is expanding, while here on earth it feels as though it is shrinking with the rise of xenophobia, narrow-mindedness and the continuous threats of climate change. Fleeing, or escaping to nature is not as easy as it may seem.

Renie Spoelstra studied at St. Joost, Breda and at the Academie Minerva, Groningen. She has exhibited in the Netherlands and abroad, notably at institutions like the Louvre-Lens, Albertina, Vienna, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, the Kunsthal Rotterdam, Museum Belvedere Heerenveen, Rijksmuseum Twenthe and Stedelijk Museum Schiedam. Her work is included in renowned collections such as the Centre Pompidou, Paris, MACBA Barcelona, Collection Frac Picardie Amiens, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Centraal Museum Utrecht, Cobra Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Amstelveen, Museum Voorlinden, Wassenaar, the Guerlain Foundation, Paris, De Nederlandsche Bank, Bouwfonds Collection, The National Collection of the Netherlands, Teylers Museum Haarlem, The Louis Dreyfus Family Collection NY, De Ru Collectie and many other (private) collections worldwide.

www.ftn-books.com has now the DARKNESS IS A PLACE publication available.

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Adela Rodix / ADELA (1947)

Adela Rodix is an artist, thinker, writer. She exhibits her works of art in leading galleries in Europe and America, such as Galerie Maeght. In her artistic career she is also known as Adela, R.D. Adela and Adela R. Duflos.
She has a degree in History. Adela has also been a fashion and advertising model. From a Spanish-French family, she has been living in different countries, feeling herself as a pilgrim, a traveler. She lived for many years in Barcelona, Spain, and now she lives between Warsaw, Buenos Aires, Madrid and New York. She is also author of Light of Cultronia.
Her new book The Weary Angel. will come in september 2022.

WWW.FTN-BOOKS.COM has the Maeght edition form 1993 now available.

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Antoni Clavé (1913-2005)

Antoni Clavé was born in Barcelona in 1913 and lived with his mother until 1934. In 1918 he entered elementary school, after which he entered the Hispanic American Quorum. Since 1926, he has been forced into forced labor from the age of 13, working first as a clerk in a textile store for cases. At the same time, he enrolled in the night class of a part-time art school. There he modeled in Angel Ferran’s class and painted with José Mongrel. Along the way, he meets Eduardo Serra, Jordi Casals, Ramon Martim, Grau Sala and Hermann Pico.

José Mongrel finds a job as a facade painting apprentice in Tolosa. By mastering crafts and techniques such as making plaster, plaster, and glue, and then mixing paints, young clave learn techniques such as fresco painting, lettering, and fantasy painting.
In 1928, one of his first works was a portrait of his maternal grandmother. He remained employed in Tolosa well into the 1930s to support himself and his mother, who was now paralyzed and wholly dependent on him. In addition, he continues to take evening courses at an art school, of which he is now in the regular course. There, he meets Salvador Ortiga, with whom he develops a deep friendship. Ortiga advised and influenced his disciples over the course of three years. In 1932 Clave left art school. When he won second place in a poster competition organized by Sparkasse Barcelona, he felt encouraged to quit his painting job. In 1934, Clave was already using new materials in its advertising and stage design work that were first used by the avant-garde artists of the time: collages of various materials, ropes, printed fabrics, cardboard, newspapers, etc. I was. Together with his friend Salvador Ortiga he searched for other new material and created it in Paris a few years later.

http://www.ftn-books.com has some interesting Clave titles now available.

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David Urban (1966)

Why a blog on David Urban. The reason is simple. Urban exhibited at Barbara Farber in 1996. Unknown and available at that time at reasonable prices. Now almost 30 years later, paintings from that gallerist and its artists from that decade come again to the market. One of these artists is David Urban. Well known in Canada and the US and lesser known in Europe, but still there are some paintings to be found in European private collections and museums. One of the last auctions from last auctioning season had such a painting by David Urban. THE GOLDEN NUMBER from 1996. I was able to buy this painting for the FTN collection and it will be for sale in a few weeks. If you are interested , please contact me at wilfriedvandenelshout@gmail.com

The work of David Urban is defined by bold collisions of line and shape, clashing tones and kinetic brushstrokes. Urban builds his dynamic paintings, layer upon layer, incorporating the traditions of still life and landscape, abstraction and realism. Rhythmic geometries conjure up networks of boards, beams and girders. His work explores the physical presence of sound, with a strong sense of connectivity and rhythmical structure. Urban produces forms that engage the viewer, pursuing an endless investigation into how and why we perceive images. Urban focuses on the history and methodology of color and painting itself, embedding powerful brushstrokes and charcoal drawings in thick layers of paint. His work explores the interplay of representation and abstraction while presenting his two distinct streams of contemporary painting.
Urban is a true Renaissance man and scholar of art history, literature and music. He has a master’s degree in English Literature and is trained in several instruments. He studied the work of early Modernist painters such as Piet Mondrian and Henri Matisse. His artwork is the culmination of this creative effort and research.
Urban graduated from York University in 1989 with both BA and BA.

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Elly Strik (1961)

Elly Strick lives and works in Brussels and started teaching at the age of 25. She herself studied at the Academy in Groningen and at the Academy in Minerva and Jan van Eyck in Maastricht.
She specializes in working on paper and uses mainly materials such as graphite, pigments and oil paints, but she also uses wood stove ash and silver and gold leaf to achieve proper alchemy. increase. For them, the potential for transformation underlies our existence. Her exploration of human nature combines a visual language that is both poetic and radical. Ellie Strick held a solo exhibition at MHKA in Antwerp (B, 1999). De Pont, Tilburg (Netherlands, 2006). Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven (Netherlands, 2006). Mainz Museum (Germany, 2012). Reina Sofia National Museum in Madrid (Spain, 2014) and 1700 La Poste, Montreal (California, 2018).
Her work has won the Philip Her Morris Award, the Charlotte Koehler Award and the Jeanne Austing Award.

www.ftn-books.com has some very interesting Elly Strik titles available.

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Kurt Löb (1926-2015

Kurt Löb

If i must choose one of the best illustrators working from the Netherlands in the last century it would be Kurt Löb.

Born in Germany he fled to the Netherlands and build a career in illustrating books, magazine and at the same time produced many great paintings and drawings. The style “fin du siecle” with loose abstract elements. He must have been influenced by Austrian Art from the 1900’s , but in his career he definitely created a style of his own. These drawings belong to the very best dutch/ german illustrators.

http://www.ftn-books.com has  a nice signed copy of the Löb / Bild + Buch publication available.

Signed Bild + Buch