BIG SKY
Prince Albert Gallery 15 April until 15 May 2022 Words by Bren Brophy www.princealbertgallery.co.za
“If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.” Marc Chagall.
J
anet Dirksen paints intuitively. Her new body of work is a reflection on her time spent over the years in the small Karoo town of Prince Albert. She is drawn to the sometimes harsh landscape and it is fitting that her second solo exhibition returns ‘home’ to the Prince Albert Gallery. Dirksen offers a multi-layered interpretation of her subject. On the surface she is interested in the sky, the landscape and the quintessential, often derelict, Karoo houses and structures that occupy it. There is a conspicuous lack of any human figures or activity. Yet the works speak to human memory, nostalgia and identity. The buildings serve as an archaeology of the history of the region together with a profound sense of longing for that which has passed. It is this emotional and atmospheric quality that infuses her work. The structures mark space whilst simultaneously creating space beneath the vastness of the desert skies that are her primary subject. The works capture the innate loneliness of the landscape but also of the human condition. The titles of the works allure to this - ‘Distant Solitude’, ‘Silent Spaces’, and ‘Be Still’. “The greatest art always returns you to the vulnerability of the human situation.” Francis Bacon. Dirksen’s interest in the landscape is driven by her exploration of man’s connection to nature and enriched by her empathy with human spirituality. The works create space for meditation and contemplation. Her intentions are amplified by her technical ‘language’ . Working in oils, the multi-layered abstracted areas of the Karoo skies are juxtaposed with the more detailed areas of the manmade structures. “I paint poetically, instead of simply realistically”. Not surprisingly her inspirations include William Turner.
Distant Solitude, oil on canvas, 1020mm x 760mm
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