RembrandtForum in Leiden organized an exhibition of new paintings of Rien Zwijnenburg, a Dutch painter from Leiden. The new work of Zwijnenburg was a surprise for me because it is quite different from his earlier figurative oeuvre. His new paintings are made on wood panels covered at random with carved lines. The carved lines are filled with indian ink and the spaces between the lines- which have different shapes- are painted with colours. In the process of painting the lines and colours patterns are developing which finally result in a more or less abstract representation.
The change of his style coincides with a change in his personal life. After working many years as a medical doctor he recently retired to dedicate himself fully to the art of painting. At the occasion of the exhibition the art historian Han van Ouwerkerk published the illustrated essay "Five paintings and a summer" about the work of Rien Zwijnenburg. You can buy it at the exhibition.
Compared to his earlier figurative work it seems to me that in his new work Zwijnenburg has adopted a new, more restrained way of looking at the universe. In his earlier figurative work his view on reality is often reflected by symbolic interpretations.
In his new paintings his view on reality is more detached and reflective. He goes with the flow of the lines and colours and on this journey through the universe Zwijnenburg discovers changing perspectives. By travelling through these perspectives, new ones arise. But at the end of the journey Zwijnenburg is still the one to decide on the final perspective. This process results in beautiful paintings which invite you to continue Zwijnenburg's journey.