Van Gogh Etten-Leur acquires work by Elsbeth Veerman
Van Gogh Etten-Leur acquires work by Elsbeth Veerman
Following the donation of three paintings by Henri De Cocker, the Vincent van Gogh Etten-Leur Foundation has further expanded its collection. This time it involves six pochoirs by the Achtmaal artist Elsbeth Veerman.
The pochoir technique is a typically French art form that reached its peak in the first half of the last century, particularly in Paris.
Originally a method of making reproductions of original works of art as close as possible to the original, especially the color. This extremely labor-intensive graphic
technique placed high artisanal demands on the performers.
The work to be reproduced is divided into slablons "patrons" cut from very thin metal foil and these shapes are then laid out in order and location on paper and colored manually with various paints and brushes, brushes, tampons and sponges.
It was the most faithful way to reproduce works of art for a wider audience. Consequently, many artists including Picasso, Matisse, Kees van Dongen, Chagall and Miró worked intensively with the pochoir studios. In contemporary art, we see this stencil technique recurring mainly in "street art," including the British graffiti artist Bansky.
Elsbeth Veerman inspired by Van Gogh
She finds the basis for Elsbeth Veerman's visual work in everyday life and in her immediate surroundings. That is the outlying area of Wernhout with its vast fields, the colors, the grand cloudy skies and the changes of light. This area was also the homeland of Vincent van Gogh: the Brabant countryside that always inspired him. This region provided the basis for new great works.
She was also struck by the connection between Vincent and Theo. This resulted in a series of works she made in Auvers-sur-Oise. And a number of studies that led to her "pochoirs," a graphic technique that produced small works.
Growing up in the area around Nuenen, she remembers well the farms with large thatched roofs and low walls, the yellow fields of grain, the rows of poplars, the pollard willows, the bright summer light. All this has proved to be the frame of reference for her later work.
Elsbeth Veerman lived and worked in Belgium for a long time before settling down in the outskirts of Wernhout. She paints
both abstract and figurative, and works mainly with acrylics. In addition to her artistry, she gives courses in drawing and painting. She recently moved to Achtmaal.
The pochoirs can be seen in the Van Gogh Church in Etten-Leur. Simply book your ticket online here.
