Bloemstudies 1876 - 1951

These flower studies were made with watercolor by Theo Nieuwenhuis. I just love how, with such minimal means, Nieuwenhuis suggests the volume of the petals. You can imagine him, brush in hand, carefully mixing colors and diluting the paint to achieve these delicate tones. I’m thinking about the solitary act of painting; Nieuwenhuis closely observing these flowers, trying to capture their essence on paper. Look at how he renders each petal with a subtle wash of color, allowing the white of the paper to create highlights. It reminds me of Morandi, who spent hours and hours looking at the same bottles, or Agnes Martin, who created these subtle, minimal paintings using very simple means. There’s a gesture towards representation but it is all about suggestion. It’s like a conversation between the artist, the subject, and the medium. It's a reminder that art is all about exchange!