Anne de Groot (Degann)

Degann is the artist pseudonym for Anne de Groot. Her paintings and watercolours search for ‘the spirit’ and emotion.

‘Our perception has many subjective filters; spirit, body, memory. Because of paintings’ array of possibilities, from depiction to total abstraction, it has the ability to surpass these filters and reach someone on an emotional level. My paintings show traces of emotion, power, vulnerability and reality. I realize this by combining techniques and distorting watercolours with smudges, which creates tension with reality. Therefore the spectator doesn’t focus on the likeness and recognition, but on the emotion. I look for attractive perspectives, vivid and approachable images but give them a dark edge. I work in inviting colours, but by taking a longer and closer look, a certain discomfort becomes apparent. This abrasiveness triggers a reaction with the spectator. Above all I’m looking to stimulate the senses and invite into a real experience of the images. I play with tension between beauty, esthetics and raw emotion.’ 

(The multiple layers in the paintings create an elusive form, like light the works are simultaneously fleeting and present.)