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Article On Michael Borremans
Article On Michael Borremans
Michal Borremans
FOR BELGIAN ARTIST MICHAL BORREMANS, THE
HISTORY BEHIND PAINTING BRINGS WITH IT A LOT
OF BAGGAGE THAT HE EAGERLY EXPLOITS TO
EXPRESS HIS IDEAS.
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not stick to one medium, he just wanted to work out his ideas in the
most suitable way possible, the best way he could think of.
These are only a couple of examples. There are more, of course like
Manet or Velasquez.
Your photography schooling is clearly reflected in the way your
works come about. Photos and, more recently, sculptures are often
the starting point of your paintings. How does that work exactly?
And where does the influence of other media begin and end?
These last years photography has played a very significant role in the
development of my paintings, but merely as a tool during the process
of creation. I put situations in scene by means of photos. From the
moment I am doing that I am actually already making the painting,
because I take those photographs only in function of the work I am
about to make. However, a painting is an interpretation, otherwise I
would not bother to make paintings, I would stick to photography.
But, indeed, it has become an essential part of the process. If there
is any system behind the way I work it is that I make photos before
I start painting. That does not mean I do not put a lot of effort into
coming up with original images. These are always based on a selection
from our rich cultural history. First, I pick some iconographic elements,
chosen for their specific connotations, but without applying them too
explicitly. So the building of an image first forms in my mind, then on
paper, then by means of photos. And these photos look already very
similar to the paintings they are about to become very bizarre. So,
while shooting, I also look at colours, light trying out in photos how
all these factors would work on the painting. This kind of photography
is specific because I use the medium for a very unusual purpose. It
could be interesting to do something with these photos later on.
Despite the fact that your works are set in an undefined time and
space, we often get the impression were looking at a mid 50s
Eastern Bloc scene. Would you agree?
Indeed, in my early works I referred to the middle of the 20th century
because I wanted to create a kind of universal image of the 20th
century man. But later on I realised that that was not so interesting
after all, because people would often specifically think of the 1940s
or 1950s and that was not my intention, that was too limited. So I
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reader what he takes in from the text. My work, in the same way, is
merely an instigator that wants to activate the publics imagination. If
I have to expect something from the viewer, it is wanting to put his
imagination to work. I want to make the spectator an accomplice to
my painting. A naive viewer will think about the meaning of my work,
he will search for a meaning behind the things he sees, and that is
normal. We are, as humans, conditioned to think that an image needs
to clarify something while, in fact, that is not necessary. The opposite
can be true, and that is what I do. My images are divergent, while we
are used to experiencing images as convergent. And I refuse to make
convergent images. So, really, my work is only a starting point.
Your reflection on your own work there is nothing there
resembles Ren Magrittes thought when naming his work of art
Ceci nest pas une pipe [This is not a pipe]. How do you feel about
this comparison with the Surrealist master?
Well, that is another aspect of my work. My works are often about
the art of painting an sich [an object as it is, independent of the mind];
about the fact that it is only a canvas with paint on it. I try hard to
visualise the thought that it is all merely an illusion that can only be
read by the mind. Of course, Surrealism has had a huge influence
on my work. I am Belgian after all. And I do not believe it would
have had the same great importance if I were not Belgian. It is very
typical, the kind of absurd humour we use. And I find it important to
incorporate humour in my paintings. Sometimes it is well hidden, but
it is there alright. I distrust art that is a hundred percent serious. And
above that, I find art without humour quite uninteresting.
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and I am very serious about that. It even occurs that I restart a work
three or four times, only because I feel the dimensions do not work,
because I think the work requires a smaller or a bigger canvas. The
differences are very subtle but I have a good intuition for sensing if
dimensions work or not.
You started your art career quite late with some local, small-scale
exhibitions, and you were picked up by big galleries and collectors
very quickly. How has that influenced your work?
Indeed, it all went very quickly from a certain point and that fast
evolution has had a positive influence on my work. I used to be a
full-time teacher, which left me drawing and painting only during
my free time. Then I decided to stop teaching to see if I could build
a career as an artist and that worked quite well. It was inspiring, and
it still is, to receive constructive feedback and appreciation from the
right people and being able to work on an international platform.
And, indeed, these last years I have been working on themes that
required larger canvases. To be completely honest, I adore creating
large works, it makes me feel like a real man, with big brushes and
big canvases. I find it all very vigorous [laughs]. The thrill I get from
painting a good work is huge; the thrill I get from painting a good,
large work is enormous because it is very difficult to make a good
painting of substantial dimensions. The effort is a lot greater as well.
And if it fails, the disappointment is likewise. But if I feel it is a good
work, I am ecstatic for weeks. Nothing can beat that feeling, nothing.
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idea behind the work. So the recent focus on craftsmanship has not
necessarily resulted in better art. It sometimes makes me think of
19th century genre painting. I have not seen much interesting from
that time either.
In fact, I am an exception [laughs]. I do not want to sound arrogant
if I find the work of another artist better I will say so. For instance, I
admire the oeuvre of Gerhard Richter. As all good painters, his work
gets better and better over the years. There are also artists who keep
on doing the same stuff, they work very disciplined. I would love to
be able to work disciplined.
Is there a red line through your oeuvre?
There is for sure, but it is difficult to determine it. I feel it intuitively.
An artist is good when he finds himself in his work. Only then he
becomes interesting.
Belgian artists are quite popular on the international art scene
(Wim Delvoye, Jan Fabre, Luc Tuymans, Francis Als). Most of
them are artistic multitaskers, they paint, draw, sculpt, make films
and theatre. Looking at other contemporary artists abroad, you
see much less of that interdisciplinarity. Why is that?
Indeed, most painters stick to painting. Me, to be honest, I am not
a real painter. I invented myself as a painter. I might be an artist by
nature, but I am not a painter by nature. And I made the switch from
drawing to painting quite late. At a certain point I understood that
I had to paint to get my ideas across because a painting has a totally
different impact than a drawing, a different weight. You much more
make a statement by hanging a painting on your wall compared to
hanging a drawing on your wall.
And there is also the tradition of painting, the icon of the painting,
that familiar iconic medium that gathered an immense substance
throughout the course of history. And I wanted to use that weight.
The magnificence of the painting, the institute of the painting
unconsciously we experience it when we look at a work. It is not
a neutral medium, there is a lot of baggage to it. It is that baggage
that I wish to use. As a judoka uses his weight for force, I want to
use the painting.
And the things I made in film are actual paintings to me. I wanted to
make paintings in which one could see movements, but sadly that is
not possible with oil paint. So I made films with very little movements.
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