Hellen van Meene

Untitled (#374)

2011

20th Century Plastics The images in this series resemble gestural abstract paintings while clearly being something else. Driven by entropic forces, pictures once fixed within long...

I cherish a the Dutch Old Masters. As a contemporary artist, I work with the female nude and portraiture, so I was enthusiastic when the Rembrandt House approached me to create a new series inspired by Rembrandt’s nudes. His incredible drawings and etchings show not only amazing technique and individuality, but also a sublime mastery of light, shadow and composition. His strong light-dark contrasts and his bold compositions, engaging costumes and draperies, resulted in powerful visual images. His models, portrayed from life, with their own personalities and bodies, not adjusted to fashion and ideals, were striking in their day, and have remained so into the present. Rembrandt’s nudes inspired me to create new works in which I have been able to capture magical moments in new works of art. The explosion of creativity has resulted in a large body of work which I call The Rembrandt Series...

20th Century Plastics The images in this series resemble gestural abstract paintings while clearly being something else. Driven by entropic forces, pictures once fixed within long...

I cherish a the Dutch Old Masters. As a contemporary artist, I work with the female nude and portraiture, so I was enthusiastic when the Rembrandt House approached me to create a new...