maaike delsaerdt
The Lonely Houses- I was really drawn to the idea of exploring the lives of the happy few, but in a different way. I was fascinated by their solitary homes, tucked away in the desert or other remote areas. Often these owners have apartments in New York or other busy cities, but choose to isolate themselves for part of their lives. In the landscape, these houses can seem like they're abandoned, or sometimes integrated, or even inappropriate. They're self-contained, alone, and I like to call them lonely houses. Sometimes they also have a survival bunker. The idea of having privacy, purity and protection as the ultimate luxury. They form a living environment that takes place "behind" the world we know, with the landscape playing a central role.
LA, where the sky is always blue and the stars shine brightly. Marlon Brando playing the piano at night in his solitary house high in the Hollywood Hills. It's a dream, so I made it pink and very desolate. The LA work is from a series of "lonely houses," the ideal for the happy few.
Poolhouse, 2010
18 x 19 cm
Inside, 2010
80 x 100 cm
The Lonely House, 2010
80 x 120 cm
Acryl on canvas
FROM HIGH IN A DISTANCE
INTO THE MOONLIGHT,
CAPTURED IN A BRAVE NEW WORLD.
THERE'S 'THE LONELY HOUSE,
AGAINST A PERFECT LANDSCAPE,
A PERFECT HOUSE, A PERFECT LIFE.
WHITE AS SNOW, LIGHT AS AIR,
TIMELESS, REAL, NO SUBSTANCE
AS QUICKSILVER...A NEW CHIQUENESS.
Landscape 01 / 02 / 05 / 07, 2011
80 x 90 cm
Acryl on canvas
Untitled, 2011
115 x 115 cm
Acryl on canvas
Lone Star, State of Mine 01, 02, 2011
115 x 115 cm
Acryl on canvas
Into The Night, 2012
51 x 76 cm
Acryl on canvas
Good Luck Charm, 2012
64 x 87 cm
Acryl on canvas
A Cabine, 2012
34 x 38 cm
Acryl on canvas
River, 1989- The River work is the antithesis of the Lonely House series.
River Phoenix, a promising actor and musician, died at age 23 of an overdose outside the Viper Room in LA.
He was a pure person, with a high integrity committed to nature but was swallowed up by the film industry and pressure of succes. During the Academy Awards luncheon interview, he is seen wearing a graphic print sweater, a style choice that aligns with his penchant for ethnic prints. I used this print as a starting point to create abstract landscapes, where the landscape is also an abstraction for his troubled state of mind.
River, 1989
01 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 07, 2012
35 x 38 cm
Acryl on canvas
River, 1989
10 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 09, 2012
35 x 38 cm
Acryl on canvas
Into The Night, 2012
51 x 76 cm
Acryl on canvas
Preserve The Dark- With 'Mountains', I was overwhelmed by the raw and overwhelming nature of the landscape. The landscape as confrontation.
Into the Night, Heroes, Sleepless, Moonlight, The Garden
In these works, the landscape is presented as an alternative.
In the context of the nocturnal hours, when one is isolated and situated in an impartial environment, in a state of being that is characterised by a sense of freedom, strength and independence.
In cinematic works such as "The Deer Hunter," "Once Upon a Time in the West," "Eureka," and "Merry Christmas, Mr. Laurence," the main characters respond to a classic ideal of heroism: the man as an integrity, raw, tough this is almost at odds with today's ideal.
The landscape assumes the role of a character in its own right.
Into The Night, 2012
51 x76 cm
Acryl on canvas
Mountains, 2012
70 x 95 cm
Acryl on canvas
Preserve The Dark, 2013
70 x 95 cm
Acryl on canvas
Sleepless, 2013
64 x 84 cm
Acryl on canvas
Heroes, 2013
70 x 80 cm
Acryl on canvas
Moonlight, 2013
53 x 75 cm
Acryl on canvas
The Garden, 2013
59 x 75 cm
Acryl on canvas
The atmosphere of high summer is characterised by a sense of concentration and sensuality a stark contrast to the preceding stages of summer. The light and atmosphere change significantly, influenced by exotic elements and a distinct aesthetic.
Summer can be characterised by a range of emotions, from sultry and intense to nostalgic and sharp, evoking a sense of longing and the imminent end of summer.
Summer 01, 2014
81 x 97 cm
acryl on canvas
The Pool, 2014
77 x 84 cm
acryl on canvas
Summer 01
57 x 74 cm
acryl on canvas
Jasmin Night
68 x 69 cm
acryl on canvas
Jasmin
68 x 95 cm
acryl on canvas