Karel  Stoop  

 

Karel Stoop considers himself as an “explorer of life”.

During the last 30 years he made plenty of journeys, was working between

Amsterdam and Barcelona, went in the 80th on a small motorbike  from The Netherlands to Spain, did photography, designed fashion, did  video, installation work and above all painting.

 

About his painting:

 

Though Karel Stoop started painting when he was 16, we may consider that he

got seriously involved during the end of the 70^’s. He made expressionistic abstract colourful shapes in that period expressing basically wildness , joy and a profound sense for composition. The expression with paint converted in extensive mixed media integrating objects and materials as wax, varnish and any other material that could be useful in the expression of sense. He even used phone books, chairs, stones and dried cow shit he found in the Pyrenees.

The use of objects converted in sculptures and installations. He described this process as

his fight with the chaos and the need to dominate this  and give it form. He called his

works “cosmic reflexions”, which opened a new period with marvellous paintings

all related with the universe. “life and cosmos”, “Cosmic sketches”, “Universe and Civilisation” .

After this period with rather dark and black works, he became aware of his loneliness

in the universe and felt guilty for dreaming away from “reality”. From here came his

serial  “I was not here”  painted in a sensitive and colourful way, though using basically

white and avoiding screaming colours. He still was using objects as well, but in a

more affective way. He integrated attention for everyday life that had become

an unavoidable fact. He made works like “I need some socks” or “Not chicken again”.

Also human beings, animals , fruits and other elements of life started to form

part of his compositions.

Together with the development of his digital abilities he got the need to centre more

in the meaning he wanted to express than in the material. This made that he returned to the use of oil painting combined with digital  created images. He re-valued again

the force and  brightness of oil colours above the use of  pigments and he lost the taboo

using figurative forms. He forced himself even not being scared using fancy forms or symbols  breaking them completely out of their collective context.

From here came his serial: “Heart”, “Crocodiles and heart”, “Identity”, “Hidden cats”

“Seafruit”

In spite of this,  Karel Stoop recently had to return to the abstraction again. It is the universe where he feels most home. Not for avoiding reality, but as he says “because the

abstraction is the reality in a more complex and multi-sense way.”

His works speak for his self. They are so free and full of reality insinuations that any

recognizble object is getting something claustrophobic.

Where will the painterly journey of  Karel Stoop bring us next ?

 

Karel Stoop founded the groupment   International Art Collective in 1993 . He worked as an art curator and gallery director during many years .

His works has been exhibited in Spain, UK, The Netherlands, USA, Canada, Denmark,

Finland, Sweden, Japan and China.