Fascinating Malaise

The ofof Luc Luc Tuymans Tuymans

Among collectors, it isis the AmericansAmericans andand GermansGermans especiallyespecially who who show show a a

keen interest in paintings byby LucLuc TuymansTuymans (1958-),(1958-), anan artist artist from from Antwerp who, as Adrian SearleSearle onceonce wrote,wrote, 'examines`examines the malaise of European cul-cul-

ture'.ture' . The Americans are probably taken with whatwhat they seesee asas aa typicallytypically 'doomed'`doomed' European atmosphere,atmosphere, whilstwhilst forfor thethe GermansGermans thethe paintings paintings ex- ex-

press a contemporary variantvariant ofofthe the 'Gätterdammerung'.`Gotterdammerung' . Searle, who in the

spring of 1994 invited Tuymans toto taketake part inin his Unbound exhibition at the in London, saw the valuevalue ofof somesome ofof Tuymans'Tuymans' work, work, de- de-

scribing it as 'focusing`focusing on small, even insignificant details, asas wellweil asas onon thethe

traumas of illness, alienation and the past horrors of Western civilisation. Tuymans presents the world as fractured and sick at heart. EvenEven thethe paint-pa int- ings themselves, with their sickly,sickly,jaundiced jaundiced surfaces and colour, and thethe al-

most reluctant application of papaint, int, are suffused with a certain mordancy.

The implacable and anguished paintings hoverhover overover thethe detailsdetails ofof an an emptyempty

room, a glimpse of the human face,face, bloodstains, and the torso of a child'schild' s

discarded doll'doll'. .

Searle's descriptiondescription applies to all Tuymans' work,work, withwith thethe exceptionexception ofof that produced during thethe lastlast twotwo yearsyears oror so.so. TheyThey areare onon the the whole whole small- small-

scale paintings which are about pain, powerlessness, violenceviolence andand sickness.sickness. Most of the images refer to the artist'sartist' s own own personal personal experience. experience. The The mem- mem- ories are sometimes stored up for a longlong periodperiod ofof time,time, but,but, possiblypossibly trig-trig-

gered by certain events, they surfacesurface at aa specificspecific moment,moment, andand areare thenthen

given the form of sketches, water-colours oror paintingspaintings onon canvas.canvas. However, there is more to the than just the so-calledso-called `image''image' it-it- self. To Luc Tuymans thethe narrativenarrative aspectaspect isis lessless important important than than the the essen- essen-

tial process which takestakes place duringduring thethe actualactual painting:painting: thethe imageimage takes takes on on

a life of its own so that thethe memorymemory containedcontained inin thethe paintingpainting is is completelycompletely different to that in the artist'sartist' s head.head. TuymansTuymans once once described described this this discrepan- discrepan-

cy as a memory-free zone:zone: `A'A rhetoric develops forfor the image as wellweil as for

what follows.follows. The images can be interpretedinterpreted in a certaincertain way,way, alsoalso byby thethe

viewer. II wantwant toto reachreach aa pointpoint where where anyany diversion diversion isis minimalised. minimalised.

Anything that distracts is cut away, banned, in order to achieve absolute clarity. The result is a so-called naive image, sometimes referred to as nar-nar-

rative. But it contains a vast number of hidden meanings.'

787^ Luc Tuymans,Tuymans, Portrait.POrl/·ait. 1994.1 994. Canvas, 5S88 x 44 cm.cm. PhotoPhoto Zeno x Gallery, Antwerp.Antwerp.

A key concept in Tuymans'Tuymans' work is that of 'movement': 'One`One oftheof the things that has always interested me most is the faetfact that a staticstatie image,image, such as a painting by Caspar David FriedriFriedricheh oror byby ElEl GrGreco,eco, hashas alwaysalways givengiven meme the impression thatthat itsits sizesize or format isis of no no importance.importanee. AndAnd yet yet within within thisthis limitation of size or formatformat (and(and thisthis isis somethingsomething II havehave alsoalso experiencedexperieneed with Mondrian), one canean discerndiseern movementmovement within within the the static statie image. image. The The fact faet that there isis movement inin somethingsomething whichwhieh isis fixed, fixed, has has always always fascinated fascinated me.me.''

The calm before In recent years Tuymans' workwork hashas becomebecome moremore distant.distant. Searle'sSearle's descrip- descrip- the storm tion of the paintings depicting thethe malaisemalaise ofof thethe ageage nono longerlonger reallyreally ap-ap- plies. One could regard somesome ofof hishis moremore recentrecent worksworks asas aareaction reaction to to the the electronic imagesimages ofof our time. In quite a fewfew ofof hishis paintingspaintings wewe areare in-in- creasingly aware of an element of electronic light, asas opposed toto natural day-day- light.light. More metallic, cool in feeling, andand moremore distant.distant.

7979 Luc Tuymans, The Fence. 1998. Canvas, 219 xX 129 cm. Photo Zeno x GaJlery,Gallery, Antwerp.

The concept of `distance''distance' hashas beenbeen presentpresent in in hishis workwork for for some some time, time, as as is is evident in his diagnostic viewview ofof a a societysociety thatthat isis sicksick oror tormented. tormented. AndAnd yet yet his work is not alwaysalways entirelyentirely withoutwithout emotion,emotion, eveneven thoughthough itit is is anan emo- emo- tion which isis simplified andand controlled,controlled, as as revealedrevealed in in a a series series of of works works deal- deal- ing with the sexual abuse of power. This bringsbrings usus toto anotheranother importantimportant idea idea in his work: thatthat ofof illegitimacy.illegitimacy. LucLuc TuymansTuymans nevernever paints paints the the predictable predictabie image, the answer to thethe longlong predictedpredicted endend ofof art. art. HisRis workwork exudesexudes aa con- con- trolled despair, producing anan imageimage thatthat isis atat onceonce atmosphericatmospheric andand uneasy, uneasy, and a mood which sticks in your mind. Someone onceonce describeddescribed hishis workwork asas terrible'terrible `because because it is all about violenceviolence withoutwithout itself itself being being violent' violent'. . And indeed there is never any violence as suchsuch depicted inin hishis work,work, butbut rather the situationsituation beforebefore oror afterafter thethe deed.deed. ThereThere isis a a stillness stillness about about the the work which some critics have describeddescribed asas thethe calmcalm beforebefore thethe storm.storm. ThereThere are times when the charmcharm ofof a a figurativefigurative representationrepresentation is is highly highly appealing, appealing, and yet behind the charm therethere lurkslurks somethingsomething thatthat isis perverse.perverse. ThisThis is is also also an indication of Tuymans' artisticartistic interpretationinterpretation ofof thethe world:world: justjust asas therethere are no certainties anymore, so therethere isis nono longerlonger anyany suchsuch thingthing asas aa com- com- plete image. What we are shownshown areare excerpts,excerpts, insertsinserts andand detailsdetails ofof a a larger larger whole which is difficult toto capture.capture. InIn thisthis sensesense hishis workwork is is closely c10sely linked linked Luc Tuymans, Our New Quarters. 1986. Canvas, to the medium of film: it is the illusion of manipulated units of time that to the medium of film: it is the illusion of manipulated units of time that 808o x 120 cm. Photo Zeno gives life to film. ByBy omittingomitting unitsunits inin thethe appropriateappropriate way,way, thethe impression impression x Gallery, Antwerp.

80 A FascinatingFascinatingMalaise Malaise of a coherentcoherent movementmovement isis created.created. AtAt thethe same same time, time, however, however, Tuymans Tuymans puts the medium into its proper perspective:perspective: 'Film`Film is afetishfora fetish for the masses, whilst paintings are still purely individualindividual andand tactile.tactile. AndAnd yet,yet, likelike film,film, painting is a long process involving a great deal of thought and work; it is as it werewere premeditated. Both its creation and its observationobservation require an enormous effort of concentration.coneentration. ForF or yearsyears nownow II havehave beenbeen painting thingsthings out just to be able to maintain that level of concentration.concentration.' ' Tuymans himself used to film sometimes:sometimes: 'When`When you workwork withwith movingmoving images, you findfind thatthat thethe exactexact oppositeopposite occursoceurs toto whenwh en youyou areare painting: painting: you automaticallyautomatieally looklookfor for anan imageimage thatthat isis static.statie. PeoplePeople rememberremember aafilm film through its statiestatic images.' His recent exhibition of stillsstills revealedrevealed bothboth thethe painter and the film-maker, touchingtouching onon thethe wholewhole issueissue ofof looking, looking, ofof im- im- ages formed by the memory, ofof isolatedisolated fragmentsfragments andand momentsmoments which,which, al-al- though losing their clarity,clarity, neverthelessnevertheless remain fixed inin thethe mind'smind's eye. eye. Tuymans' useuse ofof colour colour andand applicationapplication ofof paint paint are are entirely entirely suited suited to to this this sphere of alienation: his canvassescanvasses oftenoften appearappear toto bebe drabdrab and and sombre, sombre, but but at the same time he lends a certain brilliance toto manymany ofofhis his colourscolours byby mix-mix- ing them with a lot of white.

A yearningyearning fortor Although Luc Tuymans has aa deepdeep mistrustmistrust ofof man, man, hehe isis atat the the samesame time time that oneone imageimage aware of the fact that manman isis notnot thethe finalfinal reality,reality, merely merely a a part part of of it. it. The The hor- hor- ror and violence ofof thethe SecondSecond WorldWorld WarWar areare alsoalso importantimportant elements elements in in trying to develop a realreal understandingunderstanding ofof hishis work.work. OneOne ofof Tuymans' Tuymans' best best known works isis Our New Quarters from 1986,I986, which is based on the me-me- mory of a postcard fromfrom TheresienstadtTheresienstadt which which he he sawsaw in in a a book. book. Theresien- Theresien-

81 stadt was not a proper concentration camp, but was used by thethe NazisNazis asas aa diversionary tactic to misleadmislead organisationsorganisations like thethe RedRed Cross.Cross. PrisonersPrisoners were allowed to send cards toto theirtheir familiesfamilies whowho hadhad beenbeen leftleft behind.behind. OnOn the card the prisoner describes his `new'new quarters' (cynically,(cynically, oror desperatelydesperately naive? We shall never know). AlthoughAlthough Tuymans Tuymans produced produced only only six six of ofthese these paintings dealing directlydirectly withwith the the war,war, theythey are are ofof great great importance. importanee. It It is is not not the anecdotes of warwar thatthat matter,matter, butbut ratherrather thethe wholewhole atmosphere, atmosphere, the the feel- feel- ings of guilt and thethe collectivecollective memorymemory ofof the the cruelty, cruelty, all all of of which which are are to to be be found in most of his other works asas well.weIl. LucLuc TuymansTuymans hashas thisthis toto saysay aboutabout it: 'This`This irrational war was not only the illustration of an extreme and vio- lent young man'sman' s dream,dream, itit alsoalso hadhad unimaginableunimaginable repercussions on on aa culturallevel.cultural level. AfterAfter thethe warwar publicitypublicity and and the the media media became became extremely extremely im- im- portant,portant,for for thethe worldworld hadhad learnedlearned an important lessonlessonfrom from the whole pro- paganda concept of the the Nazis.Nazis. WhenWhen diddid peoplepeople respondrespond toto thethe warwar inin ex-ex- Yugoslavia? Only afterafter theythey hadhad beenbeen shownshown picturespictures which which reminded reminded them them of the Nazi concentration camps.camps. AtAt moments moments like like these, these, it it is is as as if ij something something inside me simply explodes;explodes; wewe seemseem toto needneed these these images images as as a a point point of of re- re- ference, as aa warningwarning signal.signal. WeWe areare fascinatedfascinated byby them.'them.' In his workwork Tuymans expresses the powerpower ofof memoriesmemories likelike these.these. ImagesImages ofof controlled controlled despair which in oneone wayway oror another another seem seem intent intent on on self-destruction. self-destruction. We We continue to yearnyeam for thatthat oneone image,image, forfor thethe confrontationconfrontation withwith ourOuf own own memory, for an expression of thatthat whichwhich smoulderssmoulders deepdeep withinwithin ourselvesoUfselves and which can bebe recognisedrecognised inin Tuymans'Tuymans' paintings.paintings. ButBut eacheach timetime thethe memory is thrown backback inin ourOuf facesfaces likelike aa wetwet rag:rag: withwith thethe artistartist himself himself of- of- fering us no salvationsalvation or releaserelease inin thethe formform ofof a a moralmoral pointpoint of of view view to to soothe ourOuf troubled spirits.spirits. RatherRather thethe reverse,reverse, forfor asas farfar asas TuymansTuymans is is con- con- cemed,cerned, artists are in factfact nono moremore thanthan `retarded'retarded children'.children'. The The image image they they create only has meaningmeaning when itit isis decelerated,decelerated, whichwhich hashas thethe effecteffect ofof adding to the discomfort ofof thethe viewer,viewer, whilst at the samesame timetime increasingincreasing his fascination.

MARC RUYTERS Translated by Gregory Bal!.Ball.

Luc Tuymans, G.l.G.I. Joe. 1996. Canvas, 68.5 x 6262 cm. Photo Zeno x Gallery, Antwerp.

8282 A FascinatinA Fascinatingg Malaisearse