Van Oel radiates spiritual energy in his works

Van Oel radiates spiritual energy in his works

Frans Djatmiko, Contributor, Gianyar

During his visit to a sacred room at the Bali Beach Hotel in
Sanur, Dutch painter Walter van Oel -- accompanied by Balinese
friends -- obtained a potent carnelian gem which later inspired
most of his paintings.

"I believe that the sekala-niskala (tangible and intangible)
world demanded that I stay and work in Bali," he said with a
smile.

His decision to reside in Bali makes him one among numerous
foreign artists who have fallen in love with Bali.

Van Oel previously lived and worked in Deventer, the
Netherlands, before moving to France, New York, Tibet and China
until finally settling in Bali.

Born in The Hague in May l942, the elderly Dutchman spoke
freely to local members of the media at his studio in Ketewel
village in Sukawati, Gianyar, south of the capital Denpasar.

He spoke on the philosophical ideas behind his creations.

"When we realize that we and other creatures originate from
the same energy of the same universe, we find equality. Any kind
of differences, which could endanger us and all other creatures,
must be eliminated," he said.

Van Oel has always been inspired by the essence of these
thoughts, which are actually the substance of one's life.

Most of the contours of his paintings are dominated by
elliptic and circular forms reflecting spacious rooms for
contemplation. Contemplation is full of kinetic energy --
Mandala, a Hindu symbol of the life cycle from birth until death.

Van Oel came to the point that he felt that he was born to be
both a painter and a peace messenger. It has been proven by his
closeness to leaders of different religions.

He made an analogy of his creative process with water.

"If we write about love and peace, the water will be become
clear and beautiful like a crown. On the other hand, if we write
bad things, the water will turn bitter and dirty."

Such a thing also occurs in the human body. Therefore, he
said, he has always creates paintings which utilize meditative
compositions, soft colors and tones to radiate positive energy to
the bodies of those who view his works.

"For me, color is a medium to reach God, while painting is a
medium for my meditation."

He uses gold-colored materials as a symbol of the sun and
silver-like elements to symbolize the moon. He also uses both
vertical and horizontal lines which portray heaven and the world
respectively. However, there are several gaps between the
horizontal lines symbolizing the differences in human kind.

Van Oel said people might find that he has adopted similar
styles to other painters.

"Within the 50 years of my career, I have seen lots of works
of other painters," he admitted. But, he is convinced that his
paintings are different from others.

"God has created similar kinds of trees. Yet, in each tree,
there is variance. Each painting has its own soul, the soul of
the maker."

Van Oel's paintings are mostly abstracts.

Previously, he created a lot of realist paintings. However, it
was difficult for him to transfer his entire spiritual energy
into such a style. Therefore, starting in l985, Walter moved his
focus to abstract works.

Walter's strength in his works is his competence in
simplifying a complex composition. His choice of colors is superb
and mature. He often uses only modest and inexpensive materials.

Van Oel said many fine arts critics in Indonesia considered
his works to be "crafts" instead of genuine art works.

During his creative process, van Oel involves a number of his
friends in the making of a painting.

"This is very natural. In Europe and the United States, many
senior artists ask their colleagues to help them in the
preparations. The original ideas still belong to the painters and
the real conceptualizer," van Oel commented.

The painter plans to display 200 of his most recent works in a
series of exhibition beginning at the Cemara Galeri in Jakarta
next month followed by a joint exhibition with three Indonesian
painters and three Dutch artists at Erasmus Huis, also in Jakarta
in March.

In October, he is scheduled to display his works at Galeri
Nasional Jakarta.

"Next year, I plan to hold a solo exhibition here in Bali,
Singapore, New York and China."