Pieter Jan Martyn

Pieter Jan Martyn is a young Belgian artist who earned his Master of Arts at the University of Ghent in 2007. His paintings are characterized by his unique perspective on portraiture, where he views a painting as more of an image for someone rather than a depiction of someone. Pieter Jan Martyn has developed a confident, distinctive style. His work is built upon linear charcoal drawings, which are then overlaid with a mixture of paint, binder, and plaster. Often, the underlying drawing still shines through, allowing the painting to retain the typical features of a drawing. The faces acquire a certain abstract anonymity, which is enhanced by the minimal pictorial sketching of the figures. He plays with shapes and lines, with both complementing each other. These shapes and lines rely on one another to bring depth and emotion to the composition.

The subjects of his work stem from his immediate surroundings, yet he does not create direct copies of that environment. He extracts images from their context, combines different pictures, removes emotions, and renders them undefined. The original situation or person does not need to be recognizable.

In this volatility, the figures become more a part of the composition. They achieve a high degree of abstraction, rather than serving as a central point (object?). The painting thus becomes free from recognizable points in time or space, allowing the viewer to create their own feelings. Due to the reductions Pieter Jan Martyn makes, the viewer is compelled to construct the "story behind" the work themselves.

Through this technique, the artist expresses his distancing from the concrete, familiar society; the image becomes more important than its conceptual content. The aesthetic form takes precedence over the message, which can be seen as a shared responsibility between the artist and the viewer. His refusal to depict a concrete situation gives his work a sense of a "snapshot," open to a context that is still to be defined.

When Pieter Jan Martyn works, he rejects any outside influence. He deliberately paints in seclusion, excluding any noise and daylight. In this way, the feeling of the creative process, the mood of the moment, dominates for him, and the conversation is limited to him and his work.

Pieter Jan Martyn is reluctant to discuss the "origin" and the "anecdotes" of his paintings. He wants viewers to build their own stories and thus become part of the creative process. However, I do have the right story for buyers, should they wish for it.

Pieter Jan Martyn: ist ein junger Künstler aus Gent (B), der seinen Master für Bildende Kunst in der Kunstakademie St-Lukas absolvierte und bereits einen persönlichen, ausgeprägten Stil entwickelt hat. Er benutzt Szenen aus Filmen oder Fotos als Ausgangsbasis für seine Arbeiten und bringt sie dann dem Betrachter in schwarz/weiß oder sepia farbigen Gemälden nahe.

Ausstellungsdauer: 13. April – 04. Mai 2011