‘Creating art is a form of alchemy, meaning that what you create must have en effect on yourself as artist. Therefore, it is necessary that the painting goes beyond the personal or at least coincides with it/me; as if clarifying something that drives me further.’
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Expositions:
download exposition list (pdf)

 

A collector view:

Hans Cohen about Fons Heinsbroek >>

 

Website:
heijnsbroek.exto.org

 

Fons Heijnsbroek

Fons Heijnsbroek, born in 1951, is an artist from Amsterdam who has been painting abstracts since 1989, first on canvas and since1996 also gouache on paper. His aim is to create modern, open paintings with lots of energy and vitality. His work shows a progressive transparency and openness. He consciously avoids giving space to negative forces. He wants to produce abstract paintings that portray a feeling of optimism and life force. He creates complicated visual images with various layers and internal spaces; he challenges the viewer to wander through the painting and to decide his or her own route.

 

Dutch landscape
His abstract and often colorful paintings are created on the spot and not from any predetermined idea or image. At first, round about 1990, Heijnsbroek used the Dutch landscape as a basis for abstract painting. But, after some years his abstract work developed spontaneously, often with a strong emotional aura/atmosphere. Even so, his work still shows a strong connection to the Dutch atmosphere of land, water and sky that he loves so much.

New areas in painting
Fons Heijnsbroek has a spontaneous, direct style of painting with impulsive use of paint and long periods of just looking at the painting. He destroys a large number of his gouaches because they do not fulfill his ideal. Destroying a lot of his work has become an integral part of his work process. For him it creates the chance to allow “the moment itself” enters into his work.

After 2007, under the influence of Albert de Wilde and Paul Werner, lines begin to have more freedom in his work, especially in his gouaches. In Heijnsbroek’s work the line is usually organic, but now becomes confusing and aggressive, in order to open up new areas of painting. Sometimes the paper tears opening up a new perspective. His wild lines want to keep moving without reaching their target; they fight against strict areas and shapes. To Fons Heijnsbroek, modern abstract painting means continuous journeying.

 

A painting dialogue
From 2006, the next step in relinquishing his identity begins; an intense and enduring painting relationship grows between Heijnsbroek and his colleague Ben Vollers. The two artists paint together and react on the spot on one large painting: ‘A dialogue in image and paint’. The result is a series of large expressive paintings. Both artists are strong and direct; their aim is to arrive at an integration of their impulses within the painting.