BRAM BOGART
Bram Bogart (1921-2012), a Dutch artist who worked in Belgium, was pioneering in his use of pure, sensuous colour and sheer physical volume. The characteristic monumentality of his works, which have also been described as bas-reliefs or sculptures, is achieved through the perfection of a technique involving a reinforced framework that supports a thick layer of colour. Bogart expanded upon the idea that colour is not two-dimensional, and mixes pigment with cement in order to emphasise its materiality. Yet weight in his works acquires an astonishing, non-natural weightlessness. Like his Dutch compatriot Van Gogh, who elevated colour to its highest, most expressive autonomy, Bogart accentuated its independent density and texture and focused on its direct emotional impact.
Bogart’s paintings constantly evoke new associations, themes and subjects, despite their non-referential and non-representational nature. Hence the artist titles his canvases once they are finished, never before, and often by freely associating ideas. Although the titles occasionally allude to specific subjects, these tend to be abstract or immaterial, such as ‘Philosophy’ or ‘Signe Bleu’. The works achieve an immediate presence in the space of the viewer and exist as unique visual objects in their own right. In this way, they relate to the paintings of Mondrian, who believed that art should not reproduce natural forms and colours, but employ the language of pure abstraction, using such elements as straight lines and primary colours. Each of Bogart’s works creates an atmosphere, a cloud of inspiration for the senses, an achievement that confirms him as one of the very best recent European painters.