Video: The absurd reality of Jean Thomassen
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The most capacious and accurate description of the work of the Dutch artist Jean Thomassen was once given by himself: "I am a genius or just a lunatic." Like this. Almost insane plots, absurd situations - and extremely ambiguous perception from the audience. So is he really a talent or a madman? Most likely, both.
In 1956, when Jean was only seven years old, his parents had everything ready for his funeral. Nobody thought that the boy would cope with the terrible diagnosis - bone marrow cancer. And he survived. But the weak child spent most of his time at home, alone, where his only entertainment was reading his father's encyclopedia. According to the author, it was at this stage that he became interested in painting. Attempts to enter the academy were unsuccessful, but Jean continued to follow his calling. In 1974, he lived in Amsterdam in the attic of one of the houses, when life brought the artist an acquaintance with the ballerina and film actress Ine Veen. It was she who opened the name of Jean Thomassen to the general public.
The artist himself divides his work into three groups. The first includes portraits painted to order. To the second - unusual images of Ancient Egypt, in the creation of which smalt and cinnabar were used. Finally, the third group - very unusual images, such as "Meeting of 18 Napoleons in Paris" or "28 x Rembrandt".
In 1998, Jean Thomassen set a kind of record by writing the world's smallest oil painting without using a magnifying glass: the miniature "Ine Veen's Right Eye", measuring 1.2 x 1.2 millimeters, entered the Guinness Book of Records. For comparison: the largest painting by Thomassen, "Metamorphoses", is a triptych measuring 1.70 x 5, 40 meters. But since the author pays a lot of attention to small details, the bulk of his works are small paintings.
Despite the controversial attitude of critics and viewers to the art of Jean Thomassen, the author is the owner of various awards in the USA, Bulgaria and Canada. His works have been shown at exhibitions in New York, Toronto, Houston, Los Angeles, Paris. In 2010, the artist received the Royal Order of Orde van Oranje Nassau for his contribution to the development of Dutch art.
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