A collection of pictures from Dutch painter Quekel

By Rina Rao

JAKARTA (JP): Medieval associations, especially Gothic ones, often arouse a sense of wonder and awe. Among the objects from that time, stained glass windows still hold magic and inspiration for contemporary artists. P.T. Quekel, a Dutch painter currently exhibiting at the Koi Gallery (Jl. Mahakam I/9, South Jakarta) is obviously one of them.

A boom in church building during the 12th and 13th centuries gave new impetus to the craft of creating images and designs with colored glass and lead frames. Grooved lead, soldered at the joints, supported the design, and the whole window was supported by metal bars set into the frame.

Daylight penetrating the colored glass creates a brilliant, jewel-like effect in stark contrast to the gloomy interiors of the churches of the time.

The craft declined with the secularization of the renaissance and the emergence of new tastes and patrons, and by the 17th and 18th centuries stained glass, as an art form, began to fade. The late 19th century saw a revival of interest, which continued well into the 20th century.

The most famous revivalists are Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall, who designed windows inspired by the medieval techniques but suited to contemporary expression.

Quekel is a self-taught artist who uses this art of light to suit himself. He uses gauche on rice paper or acrylic on linen, as materials that adapt themselves to their surroundings. Crumpled rice paper is painted over with gouache in bold, bright, solid colors. The visuals he uses are simple flowers, birds, fish or graphic representations of sceneries.

New balance

There are no delicate shades or nuances in Quekel's work. Strong, bright colors indicate a struggle between light and dark, between the narrative and its environment, the search for a new balance.

The forms used are simple, logical and consistent in structure, but new impressions and new images of existing things appear in his work. The narrative tradition is used in a stylized way. Reality is filtered through the artist's vision and represented in a new light. The use of strong forms and colors is an attempt to arouse tactile sensations and a positive energy in the viewer, and to communicate in a strong and straightforward manner.

Birds caught in flight, flapping hens, a simple bunch of flowers, crisscrossed stained glass, these are all recurrent images in these works. Prosperity and Halloween tell stories with a sense of humor, while a large triptych entitled Eddy goes on is a mockup of a stained glass window.

The stark Afscheid balances two birds against the moon, while Make it happen is an unusual blend of colors in this body of work. Free -- not free portrays a bird caught in the snare of life. A simple, strong work with dramatic colors, it uses the stained glass technique to advantage. Good friends is perhaps the best piece in the show. It is sophisticated and technically good.

While Quekel is fascinated by the art of stained glass windows, his work does not have anything like the magic of the actual art form. It is stiff, formal and self-conscious. His style is innovative, but without intellectual depth or spontaneity and his work remains a collection of pictures, not serious art.

The exhibition is open for the public until April 30.