Johan Abeling

Born: 1953, Netherlands

The utter desolation in Johan Abeling's paintings produces an environment so odd that seems fictitious, making them stand out for their enigmatic aspect. He frequently depicts the huge northern Dutch landscape with antique Dutch-style homes, gates, and boundary walls.

Abeling is fascinated by the emptiness and silence of these northern landscapes and tries to create an enigmatic mood. All the elements the artist uses are derived from reality but he creates a private world that only exists in his imagination.

Johan Abeling is a master at using the sfumato method, which involves blending tones and outlines across numerous layers of translucent paint to give the appearance of diffused and filtered light. The artist uses this method, which was initially used by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century, to heighten the eerie atmosphere of his paintings.

'My work is about creating an atmosphere playing with composition and light – the timeless feeling that atmosphere can evoke for me while I’m working. My paintings have their own personalities, their own stories and emotion. One can also see them as a moment of respite in a turbulent world where there is almost no time for contemplation. But there is also a disorienting quality in the quiet' - Johan Abeling

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