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