LUC TUYMANS

Luc Tuymans is a contemporary Belgian figurative painter known for his works focusing on the decay of an image as it is communicated, translated, and reinterpreted. He was born in 1958 in Mortsel, Belgium. From 1976 to 1982, Tuymans attended multiple schools where he studied fine art and painting. He attended Sint-Lukasinstituut, the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre, and the Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen. In 1982, Tuymans brought a halt to his painting and studied art history at the Vrije Universiteit and pursued his interest in film. 1985, Tuymans returned to painting and exhibited his work in an emptied swimming pool of the Palais des Thermes, Ostend. Since his first exhibit, Tuymans has risen to prominence and become a key artist in the revival of modern painting. He now lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium where he paints and curates.

Me, Luc Tuymans, Oil on canvas. 43 1/2 x 53 5/8 ", 2011. 

Tuymans works from found photographs and video stills often relating to Belgium's history, WWII, the congo, 9/11, Disney, and the corporate world. He claims that violence is the only recurring theme throughout his work. His paintings are easily recognizable for the pale and reduced color scheme he utilizes. Tuymans says that “tones much more than color influence how you memorize imagery. A painting has a different time span and physicality than reality. By making a memory more physical we make it more inadequate.” Tuymans believes it is important that each work stands out by itself but also works together. He typically paints light to dark.

Der diagnostische Blick V (The diagnostic view V), Luc Tuymans,  Oil on Canvas, 22 7/8 x 16 1/2 " 1992 

Days after I came across Tuymans paintings, the images were still returning to my mind because of their unhealthy coloration, subtle sense of despair, and ambiguous context. It was interesting to acquaint myself with works that were similar to what I have currently been creating without referencing it prior. I painted intensely cropped portraiture with washed out colors early in the summer and now coming to find Tuymans's perfected version of the style is deeply inspiring and motivating. I am currently split between working from pictures and working from live subjects. Each has its ups and downs. I do not wish to paint from historic subjects unless they become relevant to the present situation or could enhance the conveyance of a contemporary idea.

  Diagnostische Blick IV, Luc Tuymans, Oil on Canvas, 22 1/2 x 15 ", 1992