ReiNarDus is a portrait painter who, in his current series 'HUMAN-NATURE', distils strong inner portraits from old paintings of landscapes and still lifes from the 20th century.
By painting away the outer world of his silhouettes on those canvases, he creates a kind of x-ray view of the inner man. The soul reveals itself with all its feelings, thought processes and dream worlds. These portraits have a surrealist touch that we also find in René Margritte's work.
Nature plays the main role. Many have lost the power and simplicity of nature in the rat race of our Western society. We run stressed and overstimulated from behind our digital screens straight towards burn-outs and chronic fatigue. Nature makes us slow down and its silence makes us look inward. There in that silence you can find healing and comfort. Where the soul can catch its breath again. Hence the naming: ' c o n s o u l a t i o n s '
The old canvases (some are over 70 or 80 years old) show clear signs of time. Small imperfections of chipped or cracked paint, cracks or wear holes, dust and discolouration,... According to ReiNarDus, it actually gives the old works a charm that he does not try to gloss over. The perfection of imperfection (Wabi Sabi) gives these old works, these 'new' old souls, a second life. Time has left its mark on them and therein lies the beauty. Besides, this series is a great example of dealing sustainably with the art of previous generations.
