Nina – 13-09-23, Drawing, Pencil/Colored Pencil on Paper, 2023

Corné Akkers  

Return to graphite drawing Hatch 'Nina' – 13-09-23' a return to black and white but also to the hatching technique. Last spring, I did some landscapes and I remember that 'Marlot' – 27-03-23' was also executed with hatched lines. Strange how these different styles persist in my head. Then suddenly and for no particular reason, I take the initiative. Or is it the case? Perhaps my rationality corresponded to my instinct in this particular situation. I asked Nina if she had photos with real tonal distributions of chiaroscuro. She referred me to this beautiful image and I assumed I had seen the potential of the lighting. This would certainly be in accord with my skills in hatching. You see, all through the years, I have discovered that this technique makes the tonal transitions the most subtle. Having decided, what is the next step? Cubist style The last one by Nina was done in color. My ambition was to make realism correspond to the cubist style in a way that people would perceive the cubist style as real. This led me to a range of emotions. 90% found the work brilliant. However, there were critiques that thought I should not mix these two styles. Others found the nose particularly bulbous, resembling a goiter. I do not pay attention to it. Although I must admit that combining styles can lead to confusion. Charming! I like it and now I know that I am really on the right track. Hence the incorporation of cubism once again into the drawing in question. Not much but slightly to keep the viewers alert, to catch them off guard. Personally, I think the subtle style resembles that applied in 'Julia' – 11-09-18'. Jan Veth The hatched lines were also motivated by something else when I think about it. In my previous artistic statement, I mentioned Jan Veth and his works exhibited at the Dordrechts Museum. A particular ink drawing I remembered, called 'Louw the gardener'. I rarely saw such meticulously drawn hairline lines in ink. You know, using pencil, I can simply erase some lines and start again. With ink, there is no room for error. Yet, he managed to place all the lines horizontally without notable flaws. So I knew I had to do my best. We are talking about an artist living in an era without gas lamps and without running water. There was no flush toilet. Transportation was very difficult. So here I have cold and hot water, all the light I need, and the internet. There are many reference photos and ideas on my screen. Continue! Erwin Olaf Defining the proportions and placing the lines were all very good but as the drawing progressed, something was missing. Just like with all the distorting reference photos taken by others, in terms of hunting: it is not my murder! So here is a void felt inside me that needed to be filled. In other words, I had to add something to the mix, put my mark on the composition. Gradually, I noticed that I was associating her and the sofa with Erwin Olaf's Hope series. This concerned everything that was on women in settings from the 60s and 70s. The pattern of the sofa was certainly conducive to this association. Finally, and not least, I added a framed version of a previous drawing of her in the upper left corner. The Bakelite telephone is a direct reference to Erwin. Overall, a little double homage to two great artists. Graphite drawing (matte graphite pencil Faber Castell Pitt 14B) on Fabriano Ingres paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Cornè Akkers :: Drawing :: Cubism :: This piece is accompanied by an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to hang: No :: Signed: Yes :: Signature location: upper right corner :: Paper: Portrait :: Original: Yes :: Framed: No