Stage #2: Abstract Art Marathon

Selected Abstract Art by artists Wouter Nijland, Rainer Splitt, Jos van Merendonk

Wouter Nijland

 At first glance, you wouldn't say so, but Wouter Nijland's work hangs together from coincidences. Literally. The artist himself determines only the boundary conditions of his canvases, such as format and grid. Then he leaves all space to chance, which is determined with, for example, numbered marbles or a coin. A consequence of his vision and working method is that every work he starts is also finished. The artist himself does not determine whether something is right or wrong or beautiful or ugly. As a viewer, you can get delightfully lost in Wouter Nijland's framed coincidences. And that is exactly what he has in mind.

Rainer Splitt

Rainer Splitt does not paint but pours, and in the act of pouring he studies the qualities of the liquid, its ability to spread and the process of gradual drying, a way of exploring the relationships between space, matter and time. In some cases, the layers of color, flowing over one another, partially overlap and “erase” each other by creating precise and elegant forms that demonstrate Splitt's ability to control color and matter.

Jos van Merendonk

 Almost all of Jos van Merendonk's paintings are derived from three combined motifs: a zigzag, an oval shape and a superimposed Z. In essence, they form the basis for everything the artist creates. Van Merendonk works in only one distinct color: chromium oxide green, called “Cologne Bridge Green” in Germany, a pigment considered most stable and neutral. His paintings are always a square format that varies in size: 40 × 40 cm, 60 × 60 cm, 100 × 100 cm or 200 × 200 cm. With a concept of three motifs and one color in mind, the viewer discerns order in an apparent chaos.