THE Durban Art Gallery hosts its first exhibition at their new Rivertown Contemporary Gallery and it’s entitled Rembrandt – A love affair by renowned artist, Marianne Meijer. The solo exhibition, which runs until Sunday, showcases the portraits of the 80-year-old artist which are inspired by the works of Rembrandt.
Senior Curator at the Durban Art Gallery (DAG), Jenny Stretton shares the significance behind Meijer’s works: “By reflecting on a new body of work by this experienced artist, the DAG celebrates not only its history and transformation in a new democracy but also its commitment to the future. Heritage is not a static thing. History and the future coexist comfortably in this exhibition which, in turn, hangs contentedly on the new walls of a historic Durban building.”
According to Stretton, this new body of work is Meijer’s response to meticulously researched and observed works by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606 – 1669) who embraced realism and innovative technique to become one of the greatest artists of all time. She reveals: “A Rembrandt portrait is always angled and emerges out of shadow with brightly illuminated light and Meijer has achieved this ‘theatrical’ lighting in her portraits creating mood through a matching stylistic approach. Working quickly and mainly with Liquitex paints, Meijer produces deep rich colours reminiscent of the Dutch Golden Age... Meijer also paints with traditional oils, watercolour and ink.”
As the senior curator, Stretton comments on what appealed to her most about this display: “Despite her painting and writing, championing a democratic South Africa, her roots in Amsterdam are revealed in this exhibition and the way she looks to Rembrandt as a mentor is admirable as it highlights her heritage and brings interest and public attention to this great artist. Meijer paints faces and figures that are departures from traditional portraiture. Her interest lies in inventing variations and exploring expressive effect rather than mere depictions. Details become blurred through manipulation of the medium often to the point of abstraction. What is captured is the subtlety and enormous range of human emotion that makes each of us unique, yet sharing a common humanity. She abandons the realistic image and chooses a new way of ‘seeing’ with the mind’s eye – a process of inward introspection and intuition that give these works their unique power to move and engage the viewer.”
At the age of 80, Meijer continues to produce excellent works of art. “For three decades; writer, artist and arts activist, Marianne Meijer has been the conscience of the Durban art world with her in-sightful commentaries in many regional and national publications. While Marianne is 80, I do not see her age in this way. I have known her for the last 20 or so years and age is simply a number. Her passion and zest is her life force.”
Rivertown Contemp-orary Gallery is housed in a newly renovated section of the historic Durban Beer Hall. The “Rivertown Contemporary” initiative is a spot-on international trend – the activation of semi-industrial urban spaces using arts and culture that bring life blood to the cultural heart of the city that contain both heritage collections and contemporary practice.
l The exhibition runs until Sunday at the Rivertown Contem-porary Gallery, 102-120 Florence Nzama Street. Call 031 3112263/8