Geometric Paintings with Earth Colors

Leonardo,Vol. 4, pp. 355-356. Pergamon Press 1971. Printed in Great Britain GEOMETRIC PAINTINGS WITH EARTH COLORS Gilbert Decock* The ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Babylonians produced art of a simple form that I believe was broadly understood and appreciated at the time. I feel that this was also true of the works of art by the Flemish masters such as Van Eyck, Brueghel, Bosch, Rubens, Van den Berghe and Permeke, spanning a period of six centuries, because they are characterized by the same underlying simplicity. The form, motifs and colors of Flemish art continually inspire me in my work. They are responsible for my use of simple geometric forms, such as the circle and the square, and of Earth colors and grays. It was in 1956 when I began to paint in tones of soil, slate, sand, clay and sometimes bitumen. By the successivesuperposition of colors, I obtain soft, yet rugged effects. As a result, there seems to be a feeling of calmness and a certain unusual luminosity. I am a decorator by trade. I have experienced * Artist living at Parmentierlaan, 14, 8300 Knokke, Belgium. (Received 11 May 1970.) a basic conflict between making decorations and painting pictures. It became clear that it was necessary to dissociate these two activities as much as possible. As a result, Ihave tried to avoid decorative effects in my paintings (cf. Fig. 1) [l, 21. In 1969, I began to make colored sculpture. Wood is the material I prefer. Here again I have employed simple geometric forms. To produce a feeling of mystery, some of the forms are partially hidden by others (cf. Figs. 2 and 3) [3,4]. I am moved by the sight of a farmer’s field well laid out, or by the furrows left in the rich, heavy earth by a plowshare or by a yellow spot against a background of brown clay. The aim in my works is to convey a feeling of peace and calmness, to induce the reaction that I experience when I view a fertile Flemish field, which has been expressed so well for six centuries by Flemish masters. Fig. 1. ‘Amaterasoe’, o i l on canvas, 120 x 120 cm, Fig. 2. ‘Sculpture Blanche’, painted wood, 60 x 60 x 1970. 10 cm,1970. 355 356 Gilbert Decock Fig. 3. ‘Sculpture Noire’, painted wood, 60 x 60 x 10 cm, 1970. REFERENCES 1. M. Duchateau, Catalog (Brussels:Palais des Beaux Arts, 1970). 2. P. Caso, Catalog:L’art abstrait construit (Brussels:Palais des Beaux Arts, 1967). 3. G. Gyselen, CataZog (Malines, Belgium: Ado Gallery, 1969). 4. K. Geirlandt, Catalog (Ghent, Belgium: R. Foncke Gallery, 1969). ...