LOS GENES SIEMPRE AFLORAN

Poen de Wijs

Poen de Wijs (Dutch artist) 1948 - 2014
Oud Aapje (The Old Monkey), 2006
acrylics on canvas
30 x 40 cm.
signed Poen de Wijs
private collection

Poen de Wijs: "Beauty can never be good enough"

The studio of Poen de Wijs, on the top floor of a stately mansion in The Hague of area Bezuidenhout, exudes an atmosphere of neatness and orderliness. In this place very disciplined he works on the paintings that he wants to show. The beauty of the world Poen de Wijs: "Despite all the misery in the world, I see so much beauty around me and that I have to put that on the canvas. This is a celebratory thing to do. Though beauty can never be good enough. I always say that I'm allowed to play in the sandbox for 364 days per year “.
Poen de Wijs is a contemporary, realistic fine painter. In his paintings, his figured people and objects of today are depicted in a refined, realistic way. Although the characters and themes are very topical, his painting technique is connected to a centuries-old tradition. "I stand with one foot in the tradition, but with my other leg in modern times," he emphasizes. "That means that I'm painting in a very traditional way, i.e. layer over layer, in the way it was done in the old days with tempera, but now with modern acrylics. Nowadays, the quality of acrylic is so high, that it offers many more possibilities than oil paint. In this way I often use metallic paints in my recent paintings, which provide a wonderful atmosphere. "
"In each painting I always try something new, or I get bored," says De Wijs. "As an artist, you have to keep experimenting, but not with too big a leap. By adjusting something in the work, in each presentation and technique, I take my audience along in the process of perfecting my work, step by step. I ask myself time and again the question “How can it be done better? ", to subsequently look for new ways to accomplish the ever increasingly complex challenge”.
Poen de Wijs has travelled extensively. Especially the trips to Kenya have had great influence on his work. "Africa marked a break in my work," according to Poen. "The integration of cultures is a theme that concerns me enormously."
Another recurring theme is the circle of life: the depiction of youth, old age, the kiss, pregnancy, death. And his old love, music, regularly comes to the fore.

Text: Monique van Geenen from catalogue 2008 - Gallery De Twee Pauwen