‘When I search for a new subject matter, I depend on chance. It’s hard to determine when and where the light on a certain spot can become the subject of a painting’
Gerard Huysman (Zaandam, 1953) currently lives in Alphen aan den Rijn. He studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam from 1973 to 1978. In his paintings he mainly depicts architectural elements of the city. The way light plays over the façade of a building or backlights a person in an alley is his main theme. The atmospheric conditions play an important role in his paintings.
Huysman searches for his subjects in Amsterdam. That particular moment in which everything seems to be in harmony is what he is looking for. The artist doesn’t show the bustling city, he is interested in its stillness, a moment of contemplation in an otherwise crowed surrounding. Light plays an important role and determines the atmosphere of the painting. Figures are rarely found in his paintings and when they are, they aren’t emphasized. The architectural lines of the typical Amsterdam houses determine the composition.
When he grasps the right moment in the city, and envisions what he wants to paint, he will start the actual painting in his studio. Here he can distance himself and focus on the essence of the painting. He does this by transferring the drawing onto the panel in a rough sketch, mainly in large shapes and light and dark contrasts. Then he will divide the light and dark sections and starts by painting the lighter sections. In the process he sometimes removes or moves a tree or changes the color of a house or even change the façade of a building itself to balance the composition. The result is a poetic image that gives the viewer a new view on otherwise well known cityscapes.