Land scape
Heidi Thompson
CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW
how the smallest section of the painting is wholly abstract. That makes for great painting!” Klaus believed that the secret to painting was to build up an image using abstract elements until what you see feels real.
Many people never have the opportunity to stand inches away from an original Rembrandt. When I did, along with other paintings from Monet and Van Gogh, I knew Klaus was right. I stopped thinking that a good painting should be photographic. I now felt that a great painting is a collage of abstract elements. When the elements are successfully positioned with the correct values, the painting feels real. When it feels real, whether abstract or“ realistic” we feel great beauty and Truth.
When I returned to Canada – land of MacDonald’ s, beach volleyball, barbeques and velvet paintings I suffered severe culture shock. However, something lifechanging happened. I realized that I was not a tortured European soul like Klaus, rather a free-spirited, optimistic Canadian woman who loved peace and nature. Rather than