wohnzimmer malen ideen

on the 6th of november 1990johfra writes in his diary... ..that i, a son of victor linford,am arriving with a filmcrew. for him it's a day he won't be painting. now, after 15 years,i'm reviewing the film again. it was part of my final exam,.. in which i explored the relationshipbetween the artist and his environment. reviewing johfra's series of works on astrolgy... it seemed likely that his imagerywas an inspiration for films... such as tolkiens 'the lord of the rings'and other modern phantasy films.

here we'll see the village le moustierand his home at the watermill. we'll hear his philosophy on europe, the world,the arts, the universe and how everything is related. the artist prepared himself for our arrivaland leads us through a world named 'johfra'. i remember the places in the dordogne. years ago l'd travelled aroundhere and visited the old caves. i knew the surroundings and especially the atmosphere. we came here via the massif central of france. we moved near to moustier and immediately felt at home. shall we take a walk. good, let's go.

we've got an ideal life here, haven't we? we have 2 big dogs and 5 cats. that's a big family of petsand needs a lot of attention. from sunrise to sunset. we've restored and extended the mill. originally it was a watermill. the water was running underneath the building. the previous owner build a dam in the stream... he also layed pipes, so the waterstill flowes through underneath.

that gives the whole place a feeling of life. because the water generates calmness. and you miss it when it stops flowing. a lot of people ask... 'with your paintings.. do you have a message?' 'what's your intention?' etcetera, etcetera. 'and what perspective does it offer, regarding the world?' that's difficult, because my work doesn'toffer much understanding of the world. my work is a shadowing,a mirror of my world, of my inner self.

and not of the outside world. things have happened in my life,for example the war. the second worldwar. these experiences were shocking of course. i've lived through the winter of hunger,my house bombarded, l lost everything. but that was the outside world,l painted the same before as after that time. because l never paint asa reaction about things outside of me. the recent events: we've had the 'berlinwall',we're in the middle of the golfcrisis... a lot is happening and this interests me.

i'm also part of it, l live in this same world. but my work is in another area. so what l paint are in fact selfportraits. the shapes l paint,are inpired on my near surroundings. for example this piece of wood. it's a rotten piece of wood... which l found in the forest. i took it home with me. the next time l took a saw and cut it off.

i found it so beautiful... it inspired me to paint the world l like. because if you hold it like this... it's a landscape with rocks. i've also made photographs of it. so, rotten wood is a source of inspiration. i've got another source of inspiration. that was when my house was bombardedat the 'bezuidenhout' (the hague). everything was burned,all of the 'bezuidenhout' was burned.

later l returned to the ruins. there l found several things,that had fantastic shapes. like melted lead, melted glass. the melted glass was sunk through a bedstead. it formed all icicles. curtainrings, that were half-melted. these objects were a very importantsource to my inspiration. so l build my landscapes with these objects. i'm not like an impressionist,who's inspired by nature...

representing and displaying natureas directly as a photo... with its own intention and sensitivity. but for me it's about creating an own world... in connection with the things around me. when l started artschool at the age of 14... there were classic, conservative teachers. it was very academic. with arend hendriks for example, we had todraw a head, on which every pore was visible. he'd stand behind you and say:

'lmagine you're a loucecreaping through that ear... and what you're experiencing in there.' of course that wasa very good education in drawing. halfway through my study paul citroen arrived. he came from the 'bauhaus',where he was educated by ltten. a well-known man, a good photographer. he was appointed by the principalto generate a fresh wind in the school. to make the school contemporary. we were confronted witha completely new kind of education...

and a totally different approach to art. 'abstract' didn't exist to us yet. and we had very odd lessons... paul citroen came along with a pick-up. we had to dance. so we could get a feeling of rhythm,through our whole body. we learned that drawing wasn't stuckonto a table on which you were sweating... but we could experience it with our body. with our eyes shut we had to draw 'anger' or 'joy'.

or we had to draw music 'in line'. these were very refreshing lessons. as a counterweight to the education we had so far. in the beginning there wasa big resistance against paul citroen. some went with him,to others it was all too avant-garde. my character wasn't in that direction. i was too classical,not by education, but by nature. my big heroes were the old masters. but l appreciated the lessons.

and l was happy to becomeacquainted with the modern arts. i also applied my new knowledgeto find out what it was worth to me. but l found out it wasn't my way to express. but l still regarded him with respect. he also became a very goed friend. we've had exhibitions,we also drew outdoors together. he was a fine man and a real artist. he was a great stimulance to me. but when l was 17 years old, in 1937...

i learned about the work of leonardo da vinci. i could identify more with his style. so finally leonardo became my teacher. i've a lot to thank him for. and later michelangelo,because of my interest for anatomy. these are the sources from which l drew. much later when l becameacquainted with modern surrealism... because during the warl had no contact with it... i recognized, in my own endeavour,the work of dalã­, max ernst, magritte.

those people stimulated meand l've a lot to thank them for. also the modern painters,for example fuchs from the vienna school. but especially dalã­ contributed a lot. although my character is different from dalã­'s... he was still a liberating factor for me. that's what l wanted to say about these things. it's not for nothing that the lamas settled here. we were living here a yearwhen the lamas from tibet arrived. they established a cloister.

now there are 7 centres in the neighbourhood. housing the lamas. karmapa came here to bless the soil. he said the area was suitablefor spiritual work... because of the energy it radiates. and a lot of people react to this,ever though they are unaware of it. they want to live here, want to stay here. this is not a candlestick,it's a tibetian teabowl. it's a present from a nun,a friend of ours.

everything has its own history. this is also a gift, also tibetian. that's why we never goto the tibetian services anymore... primarly it was friendship for the people andnot because we wanted to become buddists. we're actually nothing,not christian or buddists or taoists. they all have their ways. what matters to us is the core,which should be present in all religions... and that's mysticism. - painting by johfra's wife -

we're here in the livingroom. each of us, ellen has her own studioand l have my own studio. we don't see eachother during our work. each created his own world,his own atmosphere in the studios. but in the evenings we're together,in the livingroom. that's our communal ambience. it contains everythingwe collected over the years. both. our books, our favorite books. the paintings...

which we don't sell,but keep in our private collection. otherwise there'ld be nothing left. from each periodwe keep a couple of paintings. and we put them up here. in the evenings we let the pets in. so it's a communal life we have here. we watch the television, the news. but not for long, because we go to bed early. through television and the news...

we keep in touch with the world. and as northerners we're really... keen on cosiness and on domesticity. something we don't see much here in france... people live outdoors. but we live indoors. like the dutch and the englishand other northern people. that's why we're very sensitive to atmosphere. we start working at eight.

so, it's a quiet life we have. and this livingroomis our common meetingpoint. i'm not a man for people,but l feel close to nature. in nature l can see the harmony,also in the struggle. like the cats and the mice for example. it's a struggle which is logicaland necessary and a part of the whole. it's what l miss in the human society. i feel less engaged with all the movements. some movements in society are all right though.

but taking part is not in my nature. that's also why l couldn't live in a city... and retreat as much as possible into nature. after this you could ask me... 'to what extent has the atmosphere,the spirituality that's here... the friends and lamas influenced your work ?' well, l've already said that external things... have no direct influence on my work. so this new place l live and the thingsaround here don't have a lot of influence.

the influence is indirect. i wouldn't say it's more spiritual,but it has become milder. it's less agressive than it was before. because a lot of my paintingswere an agressive protest... and rancour against the state of thingsand opposed to externals. that was a part of it. it was ment to shock the public. it's much less now. it might have to do with my age,you may say. i'm concluding the account of my life...

and l'm coming tovery simple findings and to nature. and... there's this word 'advaida'. it means 'the unity of all'. all creatures are facets of an ancient being. it means that there are no differences... the 'personal self' is a human idea. but man is not seperate from the whole. that is the core. when l started painting in holland...

it was something very odd l made. to the public, that is. they weren't used to it yet. that was before the war. i was in hiding from the 'kultuurkamer',the german government. because l made degenerated art. although l didn't make abstract art... i was a surrealist. i discovered a world that laterappeared to be exploited by the surrealists.

and often that was a shock. i exhibited later, shortly after the war... in 1945 at bennewitz,a big artgallery in the hague. these were turbulent times. conflicts were fought outin front of the shop-window... when a painting of mine was displayed.it was a real sensation. later on more painters came,practicing the same style. a new school is founded. the baroque art was the only artin which l was really interested.

i made a lot of journeys to ltalyand france, paris etcetera... to study the old masters. that gave rise to the developmentof my own technique. i can show you this over here. this technique was developed300 years ago in the renascence. and later in the baroque period. it exists in a divisionof the work in 3 phases. first there's the line,the shape and then the color. this technique provides,if well worked on...

a concentration on one phase at a time. it generates a great peace, this concentration. first l make a sketch. i'll show the drawing, the composition. it has no details, but the action is there. this is the basis. then l enlarge the drawing... to a rough draught, monochrome - grey. this is the halftone,the ground on which l paint.

then l draw the shadowsand the highest lights. it's the shape, the second phase. the shape must be right,it's the basis on which l paint. and when the paint is dry, sometimesit takes months before it's dry in its heart... i will paint transparent colors. it's the advantage ofhaving the rough draught. if the color isn't right,l'll take a cloth with a thinning... i wipe the paint offand the drawing is maintained. if l would paint 'alla prima',meaning: 'painting the color instantly'...

i would loose the shape,but now l restore the shape. this is the rough draught... and here you can see the color. from back to front because of the outlines. so, the colorphase from back to front... until the painting is completed. i began using this techniquewhen l was 17, in 1937, until now. so over 50 years. i couldn't do it any other way...

in order to achiefwhat l have in mind. but the result is that these days... in which experimental art reigns supreme... i feel entirely lonesome in this matter. a lot of people don't like the ultra-modern art... and appreciate this kind of art again. there's a lot of young painters thatform a new school, the new-realists... who are using this techniqueand educate other painters. from a newer generation.

this generation has veryskilled painters in this field. this is an experiment,l painted a kind of purple... a color that doesn't suit me. now l cover it with a soft green-tone... these are complementary colors. and then you see the foundationis shining through the top layer. the result is a colored grey... impossible to paint instantly. a property of this technique...

i haven't discussed yet... are the transparent colors,that can't be painted directly. oilpaint becomes more transparent in time... the underlayers will become visible. that's why you can nevercorrect a rough draught with oilpaint. after a while the underlayer shines through... and the painting will show double layers. i've seen an old painting in a museum... in the air l could see a mill appearing.

they covered it with paint... until the mill was gone. but the oilpaint became transparent and the mill appeared again. here's my soundinstallationwith a lot of tapes and records. it's because music is as importantto me as the visual arts. particularly during painting l usemusic to get in a certain state of mind. i've got different kinds of music. that relate to the subject l'm working on. each morning l choose a piece of music...

to conduct me on the basisof the painting l'm working on. the music can be classic... or modern, for example'van gelis' or 'tangerine dream'... electronic music that really appeals to me. it inspires the atmosphere in my paintings. to me it's as nourishingas the objects from nature. i'd like to say somethingabout my education... regarding my work and the reactions to it. i was 14 years old when l attendedthe royal academy in the hague.

i was actually too young for it. i wasn't suited for any other school. i wasn't a great student,l was too lazy and playful. i used to just sketch. but to gain access to the academy of art... one needed highschool at least. my father went to the head-masterwith my drawings. and l was given a compensation eh...dispensation. i started attending on...

wednesday and saturdayafternoon,course given by jan giesen. jan giesen was my first teacher. one year later l came into the free department. there l attended lessons givenby bolding and arend hendriks... and many other classical teachers. at that time the atmosphere was still classical. a real classic academy. i'm glad about that, becausel really learned how to draw. anyone who wants to become a painter...

has to ask the question:'how do l earn a living ?' not what do l live for, but howcan l earn a living to support myself? being a painter is a very nice occupation. but you need an income,you need to buy your materials, etcetera. this is a problem every artist has to faceafter they complete their academic studies. one can counter the problem in different ways... depending on the position of the person. teachers from the academy often recommend... to involve yourself in society.

to find work... which enables you to paintand draw as much as possible. and earn money to support yourself. in this way you gain time and freedom... to work on a collection. to start with. one could work at an advertising agency... doing graphic illustration orgive lessons in drawing, etcetera. the problem with this way of working is...

after a day doing a jobthat doesn't really suit you... to find the motivationto paint freely in the evenings. that's difficult of course. for some people this method works well,but co westerik for example... who made graphics for advertisements,stopped working in this way. he found it too difficult to combine. he started painting freely and took the risk. and he succeeded. in my case the situation was easier...

i lived with my parents. i was introduced to a gallerythat was interested in my work. gallery bennewitz in the hague,a large well-known gallery. they weren't only commercial-minded,they offered me each year an exhibition... in exchange for a painting. that was a good arrangement. this allowed me to show my workin public and people began to buy it. i experienced then, because l notedeverything very carefully... that a visitor who came 4 times, in 4 years...

was ready to buy. and started to buy. i gathered more enthusiastic people around me. but on the other hand my stylealso received some bad reviews. from the press. this stimulated controversy amongst a lot of people... when it became a point of discussion... and it became controversial... certain people started to follow me perminently.

there are always people who like opposition... and appreciate things which aren't tolerated. i was thankful for those bad reviews at that time. gradually l got into the position... in which one couldn't speak of fame,but of recognition. and l could support myself. i couldn't afford much but l could survive. i didn't have to take a commercial job. i didn't need other work to support myself.

that was comfortable,l'm happy about how things went. my studio is my own world. it's the projection ofmy inner self, you might say. everything in here mustseem a big mess to an outsider... iike a second-hand shop. but in fact these areall important facets of my world. of my deepest being. apart from the fact that most objectsare an inspiration to me and give me ideas... some also hold memories.

of what l've seen,classic sculptures for example. these are small versions of the originalsculptures l've seen on my travels. the skeleton is to me an object of study. skeletons are very rare, nowadays. they're also reproduced in hard plastic,fortunately, for schools. this is an original, from the last century. i got it by friends, who bought it for me. one of my hobbies is anatomy... and it's important for me to have it present.

i have very good atlases on anatomy. but a real skeletonthat you can walk around... and position as you like,is of course much better. i've had an interest in anatomy a long time. biology and astronomy havealways been hobbies of mine. and anatomy is part of this. that's why l paint people... nude. and one of my favorite objects to paintwith all its shapes and actions...

is the witches-sabbath. a painting filled with a series of figures. a stroke of luck to practise anatomy. because... when l was young l wantedto be a sculpturer. but the work was heavyand too hard and time comsuming. i don't have the patienceto work with stone. although l'm more interestedin sculpture than in painting. i'm more a 'shape'-man than a 'color'-man.

color is always a secundary factor,less important. the shape and atmosphere are primary. and in sculpture shape is all important. that's what grips me about it. therefore my work isalways plastic and spacious. and even there l'm not a modern artist... because the modern artistshave rediscovered the plane... and they believe a paintingshouldn't go beyond the plane. because it'll become kitsch.

it's a movement on the plane.it's a composition on the plane. that's what l learned at the academy,but it's not my way. not my artistic ideal form. this principle doesn't work for me. we hadn't discussed that yet. i try to discover the meaning of worldly matters. but the actuality always has two sides. one can be 'pro' this and 'contra' that. i've come to see that both sides have a right to exist.

they keep each other in balance and alive. in france for example we havestrong nationalists, like le pen. he's a counterweight to the communists here. he keeps things awake... not that he's got anything to say,or wether it makes any sense... but he has some function, otherwise he wouldn't exist. that is with everything. everything has a function. translation: jack woodleysubtitles: roderik rodenburg

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