plug – FTN-blog

Marian Plug (1937) has specialized in two techniques during her career as an artist: lithography and working with oil paint. In 1967, she was able to master the art of lithography thanks to a grant. The 1970s were then characterized by screen printing, a medium that she deemed fitting for the spirit of the time, where democracy was an important concept for her. With a larger edition, the price could be kept reasonable, giving a large part of the population the opportunity to own a piece of artwork. In her screen prints, every detail is equally important. According to her, interpretation is therefore not necessary.

In the 1980s, Plug outsourced the creation of graphic art and began making oil paintings. The landscape, with water, trees, and vistas, became a recurring theme. However, representing the landscape was not the primary objective for the artist. Her main goal was to entice the viewer. The theme of the landscape simply served as inspiration for the painting. Her artworks are created entirely in her studio; Plug does not use sketches or photos as a starting point. As such, she does not strive for an exact naturalistic representation. She prefers to use blues and greens in her color palette. Coarse and finer brushstrokes are used side by side. In terms of style, her artworks bridge the gap between figuration and abstraction.

The works of Marian Plug can be found in the collections of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden, and the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam.

www.ftn-books.com has several Plug books now available

My mother had aspired to become a painter, though it never quite materialized. Yet her originality and intense gaze were evident. On Sundays, she would assist my brother and me with painting, each of us on opposite sides of the table.

The training for art teachers, located in the gardens of the Rijksmuseum, was timeless. It was the second half of the 1950s, as if nothing was happening at all. It exuded contentment. We studied Dufy, memorized the floor plans of cathedrals, and took trips to Paris. In our art appreciation class, Mark Kolthoff taught us to observe the classics. After school, we would paint each other or hire a model. It was a thorough education, emanating a sense of calm. In the world of visual arts, it seemed as though nothing was happening. No Documenta or major American artists were making waves here. At the Stedelijk Museum, there was Tinguely, another example of complacency. Art had yet to become a mass-produced commodity. Of course, this peace and solidity were a strong foundation for the profession, but it took a long time to break free from them. For years, I continued to make beautiful etchings – on a shoemaker’s press from the Waterlooplein – with the feeling that I had all the time in the world.

My first exhibition was in 1963 at the Anne Frank House, organized by friends as encouragement after a long illness. The opening speech by Dick Hillenius was about dowsers, who reminded him of artists, myself included. What is made visible is different from what is seen. The artist sees more than others – ultraviolet, infrared, or inaudible knocking signals. At the end of the speech, there were sounds of whales in the sea.

Fortunately, the romantic image back then – that the artist sees more than others, pleasing as it may be for everyone – is now a thing of the past.

From an autobiographical note (1989).

www.ftn-books.com has several Marian Plug titles now available.