A Landscape of the Soul
By Claude d'Anthenaise
The world is beautiful. The canvas is unusually long. Contrasted colours
seem to float, in a sea of moving petals and cascading light. One
envisions an unlikely field of flowers, forever eschewing botanical
investigations. But the interplay of these brilliant tones results in a
vibration, a kind of sacred exultation which conveys a feeling of joy and
serenity.
Such is Prabhakara Jimmy Quek's work. Free from any descriptive
agenda, he doesn't care for enumerating the characteristics of a
specific piece of country. Most painters of nature seek to establish its
particulars, to inventories its attractions. Jimmy Quek could be
described as a landscape artist, if one understands this label to mean
someone who wishes to reproduce the "soul's carefully chosen
landscapes".
The artist does not aim for imitation, the illusion of sensation, but
endeavours to convey pure, naked emotion - the seemingly impossible
challenge of transcending the relationship between forms and colours
to express the essence of beings and objects!
This can only be achieved through an ascetic approach, a slow
refinement aiming to illuminate all the driftwood, all the noise which
since childhood pollutes our vision.
As soon as she learns to draw, a child seeks to explain what she sees.
Her representation of the world takes the shape of a more or less
complex, more or less skilfully put together accumulation of concepts.
She exposes a system.
How to recover the purity of our original vision, that of the newborn
laying eyes on the world for the first time, before experience teaches
her to make sense of its form?
Assuredly, abstract art, by forsaking all descriptive intention, joins
music in this faculty of immediately creating an affective state.
Thus Prabhakara's painting is abstract in nature even if he happens to
use identifiable elements: the curve of a wave, the twist of a branch are
invoked rather than evoked. This wave, this branch, which he has
encountered during his travels sometimes inhabit him for years.
Progressively assimilated, they form part of the artist's emotions and
beliefs. They become symbols.
Deeply rooted in his Buddhist faith, nourished by the practice of
meditation, Jimmy Quek's work conveys a lasting impression of peace.
Perhaps contemplating it makes us better.
Translation by O'Neil
Les paysages de l’ame
Le Monde es beau. La toile est d'un format inhabituellement allonge.
Des plages de couleur contrastees semblent flotter: petales en
suspension ou precipite de Lumiere. Cela Evoque un improbable
champ de fleurs, definitivement rebelle aux investigations botaniques.
Mais de la juxtaposition de ces tons vifs resulte une vibration, une sorte
de "Mecanique jabilatoire", qui degage un sentiment de serenite et de
joie.
L'oeuvre de Prabhakara Jimmy Quek est ainsi. Insoucieux de tout
systeme descriptive, il n'a cure d'enumerer les caracteristiques de tel
morceau de campagne. La plupart des peintres de la nature cherchent
a en dresser le signalement, a en etablir l'exhaustif intentaire. Jimmy
Quek est peut-etre peintre paysagiste, si L'on retient cette appellation
pour qui voudrait reproduire les "paysages choisis de l'ame".
L'artiste ne vise pas l'imitation, l'illusion des sens, mais s'attache a
transmettre l'emotion toute pure. Impossible defi de l'art de vouloir
transcender le rapport des formes et des couleurs pour exprimer
l'essence des etres et des choses!
Ce n'est possible qu'au prix d'une ascese, d'une lente epuration visant a
eliminer toutes les scories, tous les bruits qui des l'enfance polluent
notre vision.
Sitot qu'il apprend a dessiner, I'enfant cherche a expliquer ce qu'il voit.
Sa representation du monde prend la forme d'une accumulation plus
ou moins complexe, plus ou moins habilement agencee, de concepts. Il
expose un systeme.
Comment recouvrer la purete de notr vision originelle, celle du noveau-
noveau-ne posant son premier regard sur le monde, avant que
l'experience ne lui permette d'en interpreter les formes.
Certes, l'art abstrait, en s'eloignant de toute intention descriptive,
rejoint la musique dans cette faculte de susciter d'emblee un etar
affectif.
Aussi la peinture de Prabhakara est de nature abstraite meme s'il lui
arrive d'utiliser des elements identifiables: la courbe d'une vague,
l'inflexion d'une branche, invoquees, plutot qu'evoquees. Cette vague,
cette branche, rencontrees au cours de ses perigrinations, l'habitent
parfois depuis des annees. Progressivement assimilees, elles font corps
avec les emotions, les convictions de l'artiste.
Elles qcquierent nature de symbole.
Profondement ancre dans sa foi bouddhiste, nourri d'une pratique de
la meditation, l'oeuvre de Prabhakara Jimmy Quek communique une
durable impression de paix. Peut-etre la contempler nous rend-elle
meilleurs.
Claude d'Anthenaise
A Landscape of the Soul
By Claude d'Anthenaise
The world is beautiful. The canvas is unusually
long. Contrasted colours seem to float, in a sea
of moving petals and cascading light. One
envisions an unlikely field of flowers, forever
eschewing botanical investigations. But the
interplay of these brilliant tones results in a
vibration, a kind of sacred exultation which
conveys a feeling of joy and serenity.
Such is Prabhakara Jimmy Quek's work. Free
from any descriptive agenda, he doesn't care
for enumerating the characteristics of a specific
piece of country. Most painters of nature seek
to establish its particulars, to inventories its
attractions. Jimmy Quek could be described as
a landscape artist, if one understands this label
to mean someone who wishes to reproduce
the "soul's carefully chosen landscapes".
The artist does not aim for imitation, the
illusion of sensation, but endeavours to convey
pure, naked emotion - the seemingly
impossible challenge of transcending the
relationship between forms and colours to
express the essence of beings and objects!
This can only be achieved through an ascetic
approach, a slow refinement aiming to
illuminate all the driftwood, all the noise which
since childhood pollutes our vision.
As soon as she learns to draw, a child seeks to
explain what she sees. Her representation of
the world takes the shape of a more or less
complex, more or less skilfully put together
accumulation of concepts. She exposes a
system.
How to recover the purity of our original vision,
that of the newborn laying eyes on the world
for the first time, before experience teaches
her to make sense of its form?
Assuredly, abstract art, by forsaking all
descriptive intention, joins music in this faculty
of immediately creating an affective state.
Thus Prabhakara's painting is abstract in nature
even if he happens to use identifiable
elements: the curve of a wave, the twist of a
branch are invoked rather than evoked. This
wave, this branch, which he has encountered
during his travels sometimes inhabit him for
years. Progressively assimilated, they form part
of the artist's emotions and beliefs. They
become symbols.
Deeply rooted in his Buddhist faith, nourished
by the practice of meditation, Jimmy Quek's
work conveys a lasting impression of peace.
Perhaps contemplating it makes us better.
Translation by O'Neil
Les paysages de l’ame
Le Monde es beau. La toile est d'un format
inhabituellement allonge. Des plages de
couleur contrastees semblent flotter: petales
en suspension ou precipite de Lumiere. Cela
Evoque un improbable champ de fleurs,
definitivement rebelle aux investigations
botaniques. Mais de la juxtaposition de ces
tons vifs resulte une vibration, une sorte de
"Mecanique jabilatoire", qui degage un
sentiment de serenite et de joie.
L'oeuvre de Prabhakara Jimmy Quek est ainsi.
Insoucieux de tout systeme descriptive, il n'a
cure d'enumerer les caracteristiques de tel
morceau de campagne. La plupart des peintres
de la nature cherchent a en dresser le
signalement, a en etablir l'exhaustif intentaire.
Jimmy Quek est peut-etre peintre paysagiste, si
L'on retient cette appellation pour qui voudrait
reproduire les "paysages choisis de l'ame".
L'artiste ne vise pas l'imitation, l'illusion des
sens, mais s'attache a transmettre l'emotion
toute pure. Impossible defi de l'art de vouloir
transcender le rapport des formes et des
couleurs pour exprimer l'essence des etres et
des choses!
Ce n'est possible qu'au prix d'une ascese, d'une
lente epuration visant a eliminer toutes les
scories, tous les bruits qui des l'enfance
polluent notre vision.
Sitot qu'il apprend a dessiner, I'enfant cherche
a expliquer ce qu'il voit. Sa representation du
monde prend la forme d'une accumulation plus
ou moins complexe, plus ou moins habilement
agencee, de concepts. Il expose un systeme.
Comment recouvrer la purete de notr vision
originelle, celle du noveau-noveau-ne posant
son premier regard sur le monde, avant que
l'experience ne lui permette d'en interpreter les
formes.
Certes, l'art abstrait, en s'eloignant de toute
intention descriptive, rejoint la musique dans
cette faculte de susciter d'emblee un etar
affectif.
Aussi la peinture de Prabhakara est de nature
abstraite meme s'il lui arrive d'utiliser des
elements identifiables: la courbe d'une vague,
l'inflexion d'une branche, invoquees, plutot
qu'evoquees. Cette vague, cette branche,
rencontrees au cours de ses perigrinations,
l'habitent parfois depuis des annees.
Progressivement assimilees, elles font corps
avec les emotions, les convictions de l'artiste.
Elles qcquierent nature de symbole.
Profondement ancre dans sa foi bouddhiste,
nourri d'une pratique de la meditation, l'oeuvre
de Prabhakara Jimmy Quek communique une
durable impression de paix. Peut-etre la
contempler nous rend-elle meilleurs.
Claude d'Anthenaise
