Nimmt, oil on canvas

Arjan Janssen creates abstract paintings and drawings that celebrate colour and large, confident brush marks. The artist was born in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and has exhibited throughout Europe and the United States.  

Aprutino uno, mixed media on paper

Some of the artist’s paintings remind me of works by Gerhard Richter -- Janssen’s works appear similarly layered with massive brush marks and a kind of blend between methodical and frantic application. 

The artist’s drawings have a great sense of energy to them. The darkness of the medium, which looks to be charcoal, and the scribbled, frenetic energy to the lines themselves speak of a kind of dark, obsessive way of working, one that draws the viewer in and asks to be examined. One feels like they might be able to trace the application of these lines back to their very beginning, find image and meaning in these very abstracted pieces.

Pulse, oil on canvas