Artist:		Michiel Schrijver
Technique:		acryl
Date of exhibition:		April 23 - June 13, 2004

Solo-exhibition of Michiel Schrijver

A good painting is a whole world in a frame. Outside that frame there is nothing but faded wallpaper or whitewashed plaster. Our world. And all over the globe we keep building these kinds of worlds, always consisting of walls and fences. With the occasional hole in them with a framed piece of glass. This does help. But the frame of the artwork has an absorbing power. We deliberately choose to stand right in front of it, to loose ourselves in the picture, to travel in the depicted world. They are vanishing-windows.

Wachten op het ademen van de zee, 2003, 100x100cm., acryl/doek | zoom |

Een vermoeden van toeval, 2003, 90x70 cm.acryl/doek | zoom | De beperking van het zijn, 2003, 100x80cm., acryl/doek | zoom |

Michiel Schrijver (1957) is apt at tempting one to enter his world. At first glance this world seems familiar; one can walk right through, for here too there are walls and buildings. Full of ingenuity, but without the practical purpose of protection. Apparently, there is no need for that here. His miraculous architectural structures rise up high above water and land, often seen in a dazzling perspective. And on them, below them and among them, man reposes. Even when he is exerting himself and waving flags or pennants, or carrying even greater pieces of cloth, there still is an air of playfulness and lightheartedness. It all seems to be a long, drawn-out holiday in counties with unwritten laws for fanciful leisure, light idleness and joyful pleasure. In many of his works all kinds of small boats are ready for use. The world of Michiel Schrijver resembles the midsummer Prinsengracht-Concert*: with all of us on floating contraptions, listening to the entrancing music. And never the night will fall, the night that would chase us back to the seclusion of our walls. But beware: for although over there man is not alone, he definitely is on his own. People are close to one-another, but no-one ever touches another person. Although it is lovely over there, does anyone ever share this love? The painted world of Schrijver is a world of longing. There we simply have to continue on our journey. This can be done without many worries, because we are travelling in an Arcadian world of mere water, air and earth. What lacks is the amazing and blistering fire. It is drawn back, to a save spot that lies beyond the frame. It is the sun, that is always shining and that will never set. Cherished by man, because it is his ultimate wish to see this warmth, this fire, this possibly blistering love, rising for him in his fellow-man.

* A concert of mostly classical music that is held yearly in one of the main canals of Amsterdam. It begins in the afternoon and goes on until midnight. Many of the audience listen to the music on all kind of boats floating on the water.