Art

Art
Unfolding Entities, Realms, Perspectives, Transformations and Resonances...

Friday, December 9, 2016

Deep Sea Patience

abstract painting by Olivier Hijmans
Deep Sea Patience, 50 x 50 cm acrylic on panel, © Olivier Hijmans 2009

"The risk of movement
Colors protect each other
Until that moment"

There was a time when I used to write a Haiku (or pseudo Haiku) with every new painting. This Painting dates back to 2009, a golden oldie indeed.

Titled 'Deep Sea Patience', this work reveals a scene that is both dynamic and tranquil at the same time. It is like a very specific puzzle that might drastically fall apart when one of its individual elements is removed.

Or, more anecdotally, you can imagine a slightly frightened fish in the upper center of the picture, trying to hide behind a colorful coral and other sea creatures. The art of camouflage and natural harmony at the same time. But what if it moves..?

To me, this painting combines a sense of peaceful harmony and colorful danger into one reality.

This painting is not for sale on Saatchiart, I might offer it as print on demand, though.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

5

Photo by Olivier Hijmans
Dried Sea Urchin

There is something to the number 5. Apart from us having 5 fingers on each hand and 5 toes on each foot, the number 5 is mathematically very interesting. It features in both the prime number list and the Fibonacci sequence for example. Then there is the ancient notion of the "fifth element" or "quintessence"...

But the number 5 also quite often appears in nature. Look at the sea urchin for example. Or starfish. Or leaves. Or flowers... as is examined in an interesting article by Japanese mathematician Yutaka Nishiyama.

The above picture is of the inside of a dried sea urchin. Beautiful esthetics here. To me, the star shape evokes a sense of unsurpassed freedom, expansion and scope. The number 5 gives rise to near endless architectural possibilities or morphological varieties.

Very often, I find the number 5 appearing in my art as well... a piece of music consisting of 5 parts for example, or using 5 distinct classes of sonic material. And in technical terms, I usually describe my art (both the sonic and visual) as an interaction and unfolding of 5 core elements: Entities, Realms, Perspectives, Transformations and Resonances.

Last but not least, my son is 5 years old now, an age at which a child starts showing him or herself in very outspoken ways.. 

In other words: Gimme Five!