geert vanoorlé, 1965, leuven, belgium. lives in ghent, works in sas van gent.

vanoorlé is represented by valerie traan gallery, antwerp, belgium.

Artists website: www.geertvanoorle.be

Since 1987 Geert Vanoorlé has been steadily painting a meandering oeuvre with the aestheticism of the gentleman. He creates an elegant beauty averse of bravura and big gestures. For a moment, the wicked world outside is left at the doorstep. When browsing through the artist’s sketchbooks, one detects an experienced artist who draws flowers as well as his own hand. His paintings are pervaded with nature’s proportions. The paintings are discreetly permeated by reality. Some paintings refer to Sint-Truiden’s soccer team, others are about the sweat cloth of Saint Veronica, a flag, or a fish. As the painter incorporates these themes in his work in a subdued way, there’s more to it than merely positioning planes within the confines of the canvas stretcher. On top of that, Piero della Francesca’s work resonates in his paintings, as well as Johan Sebastian Bach’s music, Eric De Volder’s language and Ellsworth Kelly’s drawings

The remarkable thing about the close-to-nothing that Geert Vanoorlé paints, is that it evokes a palpable reality, and by doing so it finds an exit to the outside world at every turn. The artist’s commitment is the delicate way in which he deliberately gives meaning to life on this planet and sings its praises.

Nikolaas Demoen, April 2017