World Fine Art Professionals and their Key-Pieces, 48 - Nies de Vuijst
Nies de Vuijst’s Studio is located in a beautifully refurbished historical building on Hoge Zand. In earlier times it housed Printing House Voortvaren. Before it was refurbished, the Maldoror boys had their exhibitions here.
The studio is on the second floor. Her paintings are standing left and right against the wall. Nies de Vuijst: ‘I am very pleased with this studio. I was previously on Prinsegracht, but over there the floor bulged. I work quite often on the ground and I really need a flat floor, otherwise you have the chance that the paint flows in a direction you did not mean.’
Lyrical abstract
Nies has her own ‘handwriting’, which incidentally fits into a tradition of Abstract Expressionism. In America it is really great with painters such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline. This movement inspired Nies. Nies de Vuijst: ‘Mark Rothko is a great favorite of mine, and De Kooning, Kline and Clyfford Still as well.’
She describes her style as “lyrical abstract”. ‘The process is very important. I have the opposites Horizontal / Vertical / Movement & Stillness in my mind. In the process I hope to get a balanced picture.’While working she constant makes tradeoffs in terms of composition and color. ‘It’s a slow process in which I put transparent layers of acrylic paint over each other, often I take a part away. To keep it transparant, I use (mat) medium. In this way I bring layering in. This all goes on until everything finally falls into place and for me an obvious image is created.’
Bonies
The colors vary by period. She has had ‘light periods’ (1998-1999), but now the paintings are darker. Nies de Vuijst has no central theme. ‘It restricts me too much. The process is leading me. Several things come up, I go into that. It is also a surprise to me.’ Neither are there key works, she says. Actually, there are, but she discovers them backwards. ‘It turned out to be a turning point on which I started to work in a different way.’ For each periode (four or five) she can designate a key work. The works have no titles, on the back there is a year written and a signature.
Nies de Vuijst is an artist for 20 years. She attended the Vrije Academie at Paviljoensgracht. Her teachers included Bonies and Martin Rous jr. ‘Especially Bonies. He was a very good guide. He felt where your strength was. He was particularly critical, but you learn from that. I’ve learned a lot from him.’
Solo exhibition
Dutch artists she likes include Robert Zandvliet and Marlene Dumas. The Hague is her place. She is a member of Pulchri Art Society and De Kunstkring. In Pulchri she participates in group exhibitions and at this very moment she has a solo exhibition. ‘It’s fun and inspiring to be a member of this Art Society.’ Seasons Galleries has her work in stock.
In the coming years Nies de Vuijst continues on the same path. ‘I keep experimenting, but in doing so I won’t lose my authenticity. I’ll hold my own handwriting.’
