Corné Akkers Artworks

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2019/07/13/kethel-13-07-19/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-kethel-13-07-19/ Tree in Bloom When I returned to my car from my trip to Kethel, Schiedam, Netherlands, I saw this beautiful tree in bloom. Sometimes you look for grand things and the little all of a sudden pop into your eyes when least expected. The actual tree was in no interesting area but the very shape struck me by lightning. I took a picture and decided to do it only now (in summer). Live sketching can be overrated. It so happened that I do not have some pencils, paper and a camping chair at hand. Furthermore, I regularly see so many motifs that I cannot draw all at the very spot. From the moment I took this picture I planned to do this anyway, live or not. Encapsulated The last time I visited this beautiful little village was in Spring when I drew my first graphite pencil drawing ‘Kethel – 22-04-19’. Unfortunately Kethel has been completely surrounded by apartment buildings. The crazy thing is that first I could not find it at all. I had to climb the roof of the local supermarket in order to spot the top of its bell tower. Then I saw it was completely encapsulated by modern architecture. The village has managed to keep its original character though. Now looks like an open-air museum that is cherished like a dear gem. Roundism I tried to capture the flow of the flowering tree and of course in my roundish style. I thought of a couple of recent landscapes I did in that style. Beek – 11-06-19 was the last. Finally I feel this one hits the right spot. Is more profoundly roundism and it expresses exactly what I tried to convey. That was a rhythym of broken curves, thick and thin. Lucky for me someone else catched my drift so I sold it quickly. Graphite pencil drawing (Pentel 0.5 mm, 3B) on Winsor & Newton paper (10.5 x 14.8 x 0.1 cm – A6 format) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/04/10/neo-deco-09-04-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-neo-deco-09-04-24/ Solarised Look This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 09-04-24’ is the first one after a couple of pastel drawings. Seized by my currect oil painting in progress I kept the posting pace going by some live model sketches. Meanwhile I had this piece under way and I didn’t have a clue what to do with it. So each time at Brugman’s where I teach I worked at it, bit by bit. Originally I had something surrealistic in mind. Soon I changed the set-up and decided to opt for yet another solarised look. Actually, my last one ‘Sands Time – 23-03-24’ looks a bit like this one. The thing is that I didn’t want to loose the brilliant shadowy patterns on the model’s body. Some motifs and especially the lighting are great enough to only celebtrate these by a bit artistic enforcement. Willy Zielke The drawing is inspired by a 1930s photo made by Willy Zielke. Lately I have been browsing again online looking for pictures from the art deco era. A couple of pictures one night stood out because of the clean cut lighting he used. Certainly my cup of tea so to speak. My addition to the scene is the aforemention solarization and thick linear contour delineations. My aim was to create contrasts between soft tonal transitions and abrupt ones. I also let the body vaporize into the negative space. You can see that in the left arm, above her right breast and in her leg. This way all contrasts are present. There is light versus dark, soft versus harsh transitions and angular versus roundish. Personally, I like the hair locks the best. They look funny and strange in solarized forms. Graphite pencil (Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencil 14B) drawing on Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Sale info: original (if not sold), prints & printable - visit my website: Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2021/06/08/maassluis-08-06-21 Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-maassluis-08-06-21/ An Incredible Search This graphite pencil drawing of Maassluis is an inbetween exercise. I find myself in this incredible search for capturing the cubist essence of Geesje Kwak in oil. Depicting this city is somehow similar in design and ambition though. Lately I am fantasizing about combining ‘realism’ or whatever realism might mean to an artist and my personal roundism style. I find myself curiously related to the buddhist at the hotdog stand ordering one with everything. Maybe it has something to do with having explored many styles such as realism, impressionism, cubism and then some. Why wouldn’t I want exactly that: one with everything? Maassluis Even though Maassluis is not far away, I never visited the place until some years ago. That is when I made my first drawing of the place. The mindset I had was to render the trees cubistically. I kept other elements such as the buildings, ships and water realistic or impressionistic at least. This way the cubist tree becomes an integral part of the realistic depiction rather than an annoying deviation from it. That is my aim at least and it is for the spectator to judge. Progression Surely I can see I progressed in techniques and artistic conception from then on. Drawings from the recent past look more elaborated like Park Leeuwenbergh. The reason can be found in either taking more time and patience to work things out or getting conservative. By the latter I mean that each style can start with a rough edge. As time goes by one tends to fine polish it, extending the possibilities within that certain style to the max. That is, until everything has been squeezed out and becomes almost rendered in a reserved way. Obviously I hope that will not be the case in the current situation I am in. I like to progress from here and pick up the joy of sketching and find stuff anew. Anyway, that will be for and be judged upon later. First I have to return to Geesje Kwak and start a new drawing to kill the time when I am not behind my easle. Graphite pencil drawing (Pentel 0.5 mm, 3B) on Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm - A4 format) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/03/25/prestudy-to-sitting-nude-by-jacob-merkelbach-24-03-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-prestudy-to-sitting-nude-by-jacob-merkelbach-24-03-24/ Jacob Again This charcoal and pastel drawing ‘Prestudy to Sitting Nude by Jacob Merkelbach – 24-03-24’ is made under two hours. On a whim really because this afternoon I went to Brugman Art to teach model sketching. 7 enthusiasts but not experienced persons I wanted to give an example what to expect. As to drawing I also want to show students how I personally render the human figure. So I went early in order to get ready for the session and to set up a sketch. Of late I have disccovered the works of Jacob Merkelbach I have mentioned before. In fact, my last drawing was based on one of is beautiful photos. The pose of the woman shown in the picture was gorgeous and the posture simple at the same time. Doable under an hour I had before the group arrived. Under Two Hours Actually, I was finished doing the pose and the right proportions under half an hour. So I had the opportunity to show what I’m all about: tonality. I had only charcoal available. Thus the setup remained a bit pale. However, back home I decided to spend another half an hour to darken things up with Conté carré noir. Somehow I thought this might as well serve as a prestudy for a graphite pencil drawing. As such that always is meant as study for an oil painting. Obviously a prelude to a prelude more or less. It’s jolly good fun to do and show these sketches. See what the contrast in quality is between stuff I worked on for hours and those drawn quickly. Which works do you prefer? Popular on Social Media Strangely this classical or should I call it academical work is popular on social media. Take ‘Model Session – 23-01-24’ for example. According to Facebook this pastel became the most popular watched reel of late. Duly noted but I’m a bit ashamed because of the unpretentiousness of these drawings. There is nothing to convey, only beauty and tonal skills. What do you think, need I worry or carry on? A guilty pleasure, most definitively! Pastel drawing on paper (49.8 x 64.6 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/03/23/sands-of-time-23-03-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-sands-of-time-23-03-24/ Endlessness This graphite pencil drawing ‘Sands of Time – 23-03-24’ follows exactly one month after my last one ‘Cleopatra – 23-02-24’. They both are part of my series ‘Out of Egypt’ laid to rest for a couple of years. Lately I had some ideas or rather a kind of vision entering my mind. Perhaps more a spiritual journey after many meditations on the subject ‘infinity’. Isn’t that the artist’s job, to show exactly that? By now you ought to know my fulminations with regard the state art is in today. With little to convey many expressions of art seem only meant to decorate lush living rooms these days. I always associate Egypt and its art as way to transfer feelings of endlessness and the spiritual. I’ve never been in a desert before. However, sand dunes as far as the eye can see seem both freightening as well as enchanting. Jacob Merkelbach Well now, there’s the final result which is the spiritual as stated above. The initial cause is yet another great reference picture taken by Jacob Merkelbach. That’s why we call it the artistic motif. A motif is the instigant causing an artist to yearn for something else. That’s the start of soul searching deep inside to see what ideas are spawn from it. In my case it’s all about the tonality. I often discuss the realm of contrasts with students. The are part of ‘the implicate order’ ruling over phenomena and stuff people give meaning to. However, contrast is what makes things come alive. Water versus drought, light versus darkness. Hence my weapon of choice: black and white als element born by eternity to be portrayed by them. Can you dig it? Into the sand, that is. Graphite pencil (Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencil 14B) drawing on Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/03/16/tribute-to-alma-tadema-16-03-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-tribute-to-alma-tadema-16-03-24/ Another Tribute This graphite pencil drawing ‘Tribute to Alma Tadema – 16-03-24’ is dedicated to a painter causing a stir in England. That’s more than hundred years ago though. Not the first time I did that. Back in 2021 I did one including my regular model reclining under the mediterranean sun. Last year I did Psyche & Amor – 23-05-23 being an elaboration of that drawing. Isn’t that enough, you’d say? No, certainly not and below I will explain why. Something Rotten Something is rotten in the state art today or is it? Well, perhaps that’s too baldly put. In my statement to ‘The Infinite Waves of Eternity – 06-02-24’ I already spoke of a rubble pile of nonsense in this post-modern art world. Craft has left art and everythings goes, so it seems. Take tonal scales for example. Back in the day artists trained themselves in producing such a scale the first year in art school. With this drawing I want to demontrate what suitable tones can do and support the theme of an artwork. What do you think? A bit old-fashioned? Do you like Zene art, wall art or any other decorative work in general? Please let me know my sending me a mail. Not the Ultimate Kitsch Therefor I dedicate this drawing to someone who was accused of creating the ultimate kitsch. Cookie jar or cigar box art they call it. Kitsch or not, I’ll keep on referring to the beauty great artists sought to create throughout thousans of years. Lourens had a bit of a sweet tooth, that’s for sure. Surely great and original art though. By the way, the piece is inspired by a smashing reference picture by Jacob Merkelbach, called ‘La Petite Mélancholie’. So, this is also in honor of him. Some final words: the less skilled artist become, the more skills I will display. Graphite pencil (Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencil 14B) drawing on Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: original (if not sold), prints & printable visit my website: Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2021/11/03/aachen-03-11-21 Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-aachen-03-11-21/ Visiting Albrecht Dürer Sunday last October 17th in Aachen my parents and I visised the once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of Albrecht Dürer and contemporaries. Crime scene: Suermondt-Ludwig Museum at Aachen, Germany. Aachen always is a enchanting place to visit with its Aachener Printen and of course to follow Charlemagne’s footsteps. They are scattered all over the place and imprinted in the Aachener Dom and the Aachen Cathedral Treasury (Domschatzkammer). When in Aachen I never went to the very museum before. It resides at the outskirts of the old centre and it is not a logical place to visit except for special exhibitions. And so there was one! Never before were there so many of his works in one place after he died. Do you want to know a secret? I was a little bit jealous of his drawing skills. How was he able to draw such thin lines? Aachener Dom Before visiting the museum we went for a little stroll around the cathedral, also not to miss out on those Printen! Walking full circle there it presented itself: a lovely side view I remembered from earlier trips in 1991 and 2004. Dürer’s works still messing with my head I recalled he did a drawing of the cathedral too (in 1520) I could see from his drawing he held a higher vantage point and farther away. The fun part is it looks exactly the same 500 years ago as it still stands today. There was a bigger tower on the Palatine Chapel though. Artistic Approach Surely I had to do my best because, compared to Dürer’s works, I have broad shoulders to stand on. Studying his very drawing I saw he had a rather linear approach. That is where I could beat him at his game. He did not know anyting about impressionism and so I rendered my graphite pencil drawing in this style. It is a perfect way to suggest lots of details without actually having to depict them. Throwing in details is a precarious matter anyway and easily leads to a messy impression. The sun was just above the cathedral’s nave and so the mass of the architecture appeared dusky anyway. It was perfect for my impressionistic aim. The Suggestion of Lots of Details With the refined graphite pencil techniques of Geesje Kwak – 08-10-21 still in my fingers this one was not very difficult. It took a lot of time though. Many people would think drawing all those details takes pain staking skills. Actually it is the absence of details and only the suggestion of them that is difficult. What is need is a subtle draftswork in order to keep an even tonality all across the building structure. That takes time and muscle control. Abul-Abbas Low and Behold! On the actual square in front of the cathedral I thought I saw Abul-Abbas, Charlemagne’s elephant for a moment. What I liked about those Germans the most is that they worship their Elephant God. They even released an air balloon in the shape of an elephant. On its side there was this promotional poster with Dürer on it. How thoughtful! Therefor it was more than justified to incorporate them both in my drawing. Graphite pencil drawing (Sakura 0.5 mm, 4B) on Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm) - A4 format) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/03/09/neo-deco-08-03-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-neo-deco-08-03-24/ Interesting Synthesis This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 08-03-24’ is another homage to the realm of art deco. To be precise, I dedicate this one to photographer Walter Bird whose series ‘Beauty’s Daughthers’ is just breathtaking. Yet again because I already was inspired by some of his works as motifs for my drawings. In fact, last month. Thus, the Neo Deco series becomes an interesting synthesis of elements of art deco, cubism, roundism and surrealism. However, to some motifs I add more added value than others. Last one of Cleopatra came more from my mind than this one. Sometimes you’ll simply have to let it shine in its original splendor. Serving as a service-hatch from the Deco epoque to modern times, I take comfort in that. Adaptations It needed a bit of cubist styling and some abstraction. Especially in the highlights sections I skipped visible pores exposed by the oiled skin. Last but not least I deviated from the picture in the end. The head and neck looked a bit elongated compared to her chest. That could have been caused by the model leaning over towards the camera and warpness created by the camera lens. In addition, people were a shorter back in the day so the head-body ratio was a bit different. The more reason I made the head a bit smaller. The region between shoulder and jaw I also made a bit darker. Unfortunately an interesting swirl I created in the beck became an impediment. Such is life for an artist now and then. Cunning Plan As to lighting this Neo Deco variety looks a bit like ‘Cubist Study after Lauren Albin Guillot – 18-10-23’. Yet another great photographer from the same era. These chiaroscuro lightings are my favorite. They inspire me to take pictures of my models like that. There’s a cunning plan in my mind lingering about though. My secret wish is to sell a lot of prints and printables of this one and buy myself a big studio with lots of equipment. Then I can tweak lamps and light better in more space than I now have in my small apartment. Would you help me executing my plan? Graphite pencil (Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencil 14B) drawing on Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/03/05/neo-deco-05-03-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-neo-deco-05-03-24/ Back in 2014 This oil painting ‘Neo Deco – 05-03-24’ is an elaboration of my pastel drawing ‘Cubist Nude – 28-03-14’. One I was bound to elaborate at some point. I remember I made that one on a whim at Brugman, Voorburg where I teach. Probably a quick sketch before art class. Sometimes those are the best, feeling free to experiment. Now, 10 years later it was about time to set it loose on linen. Little did I know working on a larger scale offers many new challenges. Scaling Up, Troubles Bound You see, scaling up this artistic motif didn’t satisfied me and it wasn’t that much bigger. Canson pastel paper is 50 x 65 cm and this painting measures 60 x 80 cm. However, after transferring basic proportions I thought the result was looking rather meager. Or was the result looking rather similar to the pastel drawing I already made in 2014? I don’t know really. Such things just happen when you use a motif a second time around. All bets are off. The trick is to find something new, in spite of the attraction of the initial drawing. There was some added value to be found. Enter Color Terrific to see how color also influences form. This female form demanded more forms this time but these weren’t supported by the monochromy I had in mind. Initially I had planned to execute it in blue only but it didn’t work for me really. Enter color and that always means a whole new ballgame. Blue needs orange. These two are complementary vibrant but also a bit boring, so green and pink were added. After a while I realized I had to change, even add forms as well. That was necessary balance all the different colored patches. Hence another jigsaw puzzle like the struggles I face completing ‘Nina – 12-10-23’. All-in all I’m happy with the balance in saturated and non-saturated colours. Oil on linen (60 x 80 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2022/03/23/kali-23-03-22/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-kali-23-03-22/ Enter Kali Enter Kali The Destroyer. This oil is an elaboration of an earlier graphite pencil drawing ‘Roundism – 26-04-16 (sold)’. At first I planned to do this this oil before my oil Vesna 14-03-22. However, because of current events in the Ukraine the latter came first because I felt it was so urgent. Perhaps there is something good and something not so successful in each work I created throughout the years. Aforementioned drawing I consider to be the one of the better ones I made. Needless to say I sold it quickly. Surely I felt like doing this one in oil one day but never found the time to do so. Must have been my head brimming over with lots of ideas to be captured on paper first. Wife of Shiva Maybe you know the story of the goddess Kali, wife of Shiva. For those who do not, just click one of the aforegiven links. The title came rather intuitively, associating the multiple arms with her obviously. She is not the first and last I made. Back in 2018 I did ‘Roundism – 04-08-18 (sold)’. Women with multiple arms must be a popular item since I sold that one as well. Anyway, I guess I am attracted to goddesses who both destroy and serve as a protective mothergoddess. She is also the preserver of nature. The reference picture I used is an old one from the 1920s. The chiaroscuro play of light and darkness is conducive to the association with Kali of course. Multiple Arms in Color Back then in 2016 I found the picture of the single arm streched out to the right a bit ‘tiny’. There wasn’t much to be seen in the upper central part except for a big black void. That’s how I came to Kali multiple arm theme, filling up the gap. My subconsciousness could have guided me to her, who knows? The challenge was to transfer the drawing into an oil, choosing a suitable color scheme. The palette I still had from previous paintings still hadn’t dried up. From an economical point of view I thought I’d better finish what was left over. That is why the blue of the Ukrainian flag is all around in the negative space of this one. There are some hints of yellow I used before but also the rose-rouge-apricot plains that came from previous Risque paintings. Oil on linen (60 x 80 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: original (if not sold), prints & printable). Visit my website: Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/02/23/cleopatra-23-02-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-cleopatra-23-02-24/ More than Cubism and Roundism This graphite pencil drawing ‘Cleopatra – 23-02-24’ refers to a work under the same name I made back in 2018. That year I started my ‘Out of Egypt’ series and in retrospective I can see it wasn’t without a reason. Art Deco is on my mind for quite some time now under which flag I can show more. Cubism is very fine and I even forged my own style ‘Roundism’ out of it but I want more. Egyptian art I consider a big and heavy precursor to Art Deco. Obviously the latter was influenced directly after the discovery of Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb. Surely, those Egyptians had style and swag. This drawing I plan to serve as a bridge between great artistic eras divided by oceans of time. Hollywood The reference picture was from the 1920s I believe and shows hefty quantities of light and dark. Also called ‘chiaroscuro’ the phenomenon could be characterized by abrupt shifts in tonal values. Through these a certain dramatic effect is created; meat for the beast I’d say! Next, why Cleopatra? Something occured to me, Lawrence Alma Tadema’s paintings of the ancient world served as an inspirational source for Hollywood. Without his artworks movies like Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments by Cecil B. DeMille and Gladiator wouldn’t have been created. Back to Egypt At the start of the drawing I planned for some pareidolia effects. Then I saw the head of the Sphinx in her groin. However, I decided not to follow that trail. It was only very faint and proportions weren’t that ideal. The rugged carpet the model is leaning on wasn’t inspirational either. All of a sudden the drawing of 2018 popped into my head. From there it wasn’t difficult to create a small Egyptian world around her, inclusive a viper. Has she been bitten yet? Graphite pencil (Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencil 14B) drawing on Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/02/16/third-rock-from-the-sun-15-02-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-third-rock-from-the-sun-15-02-24/ My Compliments This graphite pencil drawing ‘Third Rock from the Sun – 15-02-24’ I wanted to create for a long time. However, caught up in some projects in oil I had some time to think about the execution. First, let me start with complementing model Nina and her photographer. You probably know her from the series I made last year. If you like you can visit her website. She had a new photoshoot published and I saw one photo that got my attention. What a great lighting and thanks for letting me use it! Rembrandt’s & Vemeer’s Legacy Living in The Netherlands it’s imposssible to escape the legacy of Rembrandt and Vermeer. Surely not the inventors of chiaroscuro effects but they took lighting to another level. So no surprise there they are world famous. Consequently I became fascinated by the light too. So much so that I dedicated almost my entire work to it. So there it was, a great model, great lighting and now a theme. Deviating from the picture I felt was necessary. It always does because sheer copying isn’t my bag. This was the first time after ‘Neo Deco 18-10-23’ I used bristol paper again. I had it in me to combine that to the slightly angular approach I used in ‘Nina – 12-09-23’. This way I could use all the fantastically highlighed elements without the necessity to invent nifty cubist forms. The Whole World in Your Hands As always, whilst drawing I came up with an idea. Instead of the motorized house buddy she was holding in her hands I thought of mother earth. If you have reached this section of my art statement you most certainly care for environmental issues as well. Sometimes you have to listen to the universe. And so it came to be halfway through the drawing I listen to a news item on sea level rise. As artist I can be powerful and highlight that topic for a change. Not the first time though and perhaps you remember ‘Yeast – 18-09-19’. There you have it, the whole world in your hands AKA The Third Rock from the Sun. Threat her carefully! Graphite pencil (Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencil 14B) drawing on Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: Available as original (if not sold), prints & printable - visit: Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2022/08/21/art-deco-nude-20-08-22/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-art-deco-nude-20-08-22/ Third One This drawing ‘Art Deco Nude – 20-08-22’ is the third one in a row inspired by a Walter Bird photograph. However, after the last graphite pencil drawing ‘Roundism – 17-08-22’ I felt it was time to vary in style again. Strange how my inner urge works that way. So, straigtness instead of roundistic shapes. With both I have the intention to suggest roundness in shapes though. Perhaps my Roundism variations only get a bit more decorative. Maybe that’s is why I like to change. I don’t want Roundism to become over-zealously and explode into sheer exuberance. It could only lead to a collapse under its increased pumped up mass like a star becomes a black hole. 1938 In my last statement I already mentioned I was going to do another picture by Bird’s. There also was a different reason to do so. I recognized the model in the reference picture. She was the same I used for my oil painting ‘Loving the Alien (2011) (sold)’, sitting at the same cube. Back then I didn’t take notice. Consequently that also must be Walter Bird’s picture, even though the title to the picture suggests it’s from 1938. I always thought it was a contemporary photograph because it looks so modern. Immediately I have my oil painting ‘Homage to Alma Tadema – 02-08-22’ in mind. The reference picture from that one also looked very modern, as if taken yesterday. Could it be that all great works of art keep on looking contemporary? They convey beauty as infinity. Composition Being the photograph as it is, perfect, it seemed impossible to add something. Of course the model is perfect as such, being slender and well proportioned. It is exactly that I set out to put the stress on. Hence the vertical and the emphasis on the feet and hand in straight planes. I did a bit of elaboration of facial features because those were a bit too dark in his photo. It also counterbalance the impressive feet. Pitt Graphite Matt pencil (Faber-Castell) drawing on Hahnenmühle paper (24 x 31 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: original (if not sold), prints & printable - visit my website: Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2023/03/20/delft-19-03-23/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-delft-19-03-23/ Preparatory Trip This graphite pencil drawing ‘Delft – 19-03-23’ is based on a trip to that city only yesterday. You see, I was visiting the place with my parents in preparation of our visit to Amsterdam. Sunday the 19th that was, visiting the Rijksmuseum for the big Vermeer exhibition. The Prinsenhof offered a great exhibition on the times of Vermeer in Delft. After the visit to the museum we were passing by the Old Chuch, also called the ‘Old John’. The weather wasn’t particularly nice, yet not so cold anymore. Occasionally there was a reasonable amount of sun though. Suddenly I saw a motif that attracted me. A dark side in the canal, some shadows around the bridge and some branches contrasting the man-made church structures. Honoring Vermeer Since I fancy doing landscapes latety why wouldn’t this scenery be a perfect follow-up to the last one? For no particular reason I didn’t do much drawings on Delft yet. However, I love the place and it’s close to where I live. My only one was a surrealist drawing from 2017. Time to straighten this out and do a second one. Besides that, it’s Vermeer’s Year. About time to honor him. Soon weather conditions will improve and trees will be in leaf again. Delft will be so much more fun then. Four Key Elements When I come to think of it, I’m always attrackted to four key elements in a drawing. These are: the play of light and darkness, a landmark like a building, vegetation and water reflections. Trees only, especially in leaf and tightly packed, can pretty much amorphous. Buildings only can look a tad liveless. Therefor I like the very interaction between them. They give me repetition in variation and variation in repetition. Reflections in the water is a sort of bonus. Surely, things reflected in water can look mysterious. In a way water serves as a gateway to other dimensions. Can you detect them within yourself? Graphite pencil drawing (Sakura 0.5 mm, 4B) on Winsor & Newton Bristol board paper (21 x 14.8 x 0.1 cm – A5 format) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/02/10/den-haag-09-02-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-den-haag-09-02-24/ My First One This Year This graphite pencil drawing ‘Den Haag – 09-02-24’ is my first one this year. Last one I made on Christmas day. In between I completed 4 oil paintings and I got quite the hang of it. However, after linen I also crave for painting on wood panel again. Those are in the process of layering them with gesso. Time to do a drawing again and why not one of good ol’ Den Haag, my residence. You can browse through my series on this city if you like. Throughout the years I made many. St. James’ Church In the centre there she stands: the Great Church or St. James’ Church. In town I often pass it by and especially during summer it creates spectacular vision. That’s due to cast shadows and segments of the roof glowing in the sunlight. This phenomenon always makes me stop for a second and I sometimes take a couple of pictures. Capturing the beauty of it all and promising myself to use it for an artwork one day. This is such a day. Not the First Time Not the first time that I drew this particular church. In 2015 I made a pastel. This time the angle was steeper. The effect of the light on the roof tiles and the zigzag pattern reminded me of the appearance of a jagged knife. First I thought of a rather cubist or abstract approach but soon I realized that wasn’t quite suitable. You see, the walls are not particularly attractive, rather flat. So no exciting patterns such as in my drawing of the St. Bavo of last year. Instead I kept it quite simple, just an impressionst view and of course an elephant. Not the first time that one came about. Graphite pencil drawing (Faber Castell, Pitt Graphite matt, 14B) on Winsor & Newton Bristol board paper (21 x 14.8 x 0.1 cm – A5 format) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/02/06/the-infinite-waves-of-eternity-06-02-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-the-infinite-waves-of-eternity-06-02-24/ The Infinite Waves of Eternity – 06-02-24 Contrasting Colors This oil painting ‘The Infinite Waves of Eternity’ might look like something you have seen before. That’s right. It’s an elaboration of my graphite pencil drawing ‘The Infinite Waves of Eternity - 15-06-19 (Sold)’. Now it was time to convert it to color. Again I chose for subtle shades between complementary and therefor contrasting colors red and green. Students I often tell about comparing colours with human relations. These contrasting colors and mixtures of them create a maximal bandwith of relations and therefor emotions. To me it was necessary for what I had to say and that’s a lot. Kizette However, it is also an ode to Kizette, daughter of Tamara de Lempicka. The latter, to whom I already declared my eternal artistic love. That much is obvious. So I present you a chain of thoughts I had. The head in aforementioned drawing I wasn’t particularly happy with and I thought I could do a better job. Goldilocks this time perhaps? Ringlets could match the golden ratio curves in the waves and body perfectly. That thought led to Kizette. Googling her I saw pictures of Madonna in her glory days during her ‘Blond Ambition’ tour. Then I realized her hairdo was a perfect match to Tamara’s kid. She adores De Lempicka as well. Hence, the female’s head looks a bit like Madonna’s and the hairdo got more styled cubistically. Art Statement As to artistic considerations the drawing necessitated me to think and invent further. In my art statement to ‘Neo Deco - 05-01-24’ I quoted Oscar Wilde on ‘Life imitates art rather than art imitates life’. This statement is stuck in my throat as a hot potato. Somehowe it keeps popping up as a guideline for my own art. All these styling and swirls I made throughout the years must be for a reason, wouldn’t you think? Surely it had to be me picking up the gauntlet. So here’s my statement. In this postmodern world we created everything can be manifested. Consequently no one can make heads or tails of it. Anything goes. T.V. and the internet flood us with a rubble pile of nonsense. Such is also visible contemporary art. Not me, I want to create beauty and show people infinite waves of eternity. Oil on linen (60 x 80 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2020/08/02/batenburg-02-08-20/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-batenburg-02-08-20/ Pittoresque As you may know I often wander about and astray through landscapes I have never been before or in this particular case I know all too well. This village is not far away from Nijmegen, where I was born and raised. Upon my word Batenburg is a quite pittoresque village along the river Maas. Even though I drew my home town Nijmegen before but hardly any village in the neighborhood. Time to change that. Castle in Ruins There lay the ruins of Batenburg Castle and it so happened I saw them on a lovely sunny day when I went to my parents. The tree line at the left serves as an introductionary repoussoir delineating the castle ruins on its right. There were some strong tonally dark blocks underneath them. What I liked about the scene was the lighter bricks creating a stripy rhythym. They gave me some clear visible structures to get hold of. After all, because of the heavy back lighting the scenery was already was very dark. Nevertheless, I love these kind of types of light above depicting a landscape in full display of it. The moat surely is a bonus because it doubles all forms reflected in them, in reverse. That’s the secret to drawing or painting water. Graphite pencil drawing (Sakura 0.5 mm, 3B) on Canson Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm - A4 format) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/01/17/neo-deco-15-01-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-neo-deco-15-01-24/ An Elaboration This oil painting ‘Neo deco – 15-01-24’ is an elaboration of a pastel of almost 7 years back. Together with my graphite pencil drawing ‘Roundism – 26-05-17 (Sold)’ they are prestudies for this oil. A bit late you’d say? Well, I have so many ideas and the best way to capture an idea is to draw it. Then I came to realize I was neglecting my ambitions with regard to oil painting a bit. Besides that, It’s always nice to refurbish an old idea and put it into color. Even though I sold both the pastel and the drawing something entered my mind. The colors in the first could need a bit of a redo. Especially after my last oil I fell in love with this matt green. Time for another Neo Deco! Retro Feel As said before I reminds me to the art deco epoque. To me it represents the patina of a bygone era. I visualize the smell of cigars, wood furniture and the look of a styled world. A bit goofy perhaps but I am not alone. Alledgedly Madonna has some Tamara de Lempicka’s in her house and you remember her song ‘Vogue’. “They had style, they had grace” lingers in my mind. Surely, such moviestars she’s referring to only strike a pose in front of the camera. Such a life full of beauty wasn’t in the books for my ancesters at least. But wouldn’t you agree to my remarks on bringing back the style a bit? It seems this world can use a bit of glamour. Not the cheap fake influencers ooze out but genuie new visual insights in true beauty. A Bit of an Art Statement Instead of mass consumption I strive to bring back the love for craft. Show how beautifully something of value is forged. That is why I don’t feel like belonging in this era, at least artwise. What do you think, me a bit sentimental? Today I spoke to a couple of students of mine who totally agree on this. They also know many others you think the same way. So, I’m not the only one. Color Scheme Now I set out to also employ the abovementioned green I had to come up with a new color scheme. The one in the pastel only knew red, blue and white. That was daring but this oil needed something else. First I enforced the reds but felt I was in need of orange as well. It serves as a counterbalance to blue. There you have it: two cool and two warm colours. Both complementary. Last but not least, I also took care of a saturational balance. That is why I kept the black and white colors serving as ligaments to keep all strong colors in place. A nice and very abstract female form. Probably one of the most abstract I ever made to date. Oil on linen (60 x 80 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2024/01/12/neo-deco-12-01-24/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-neo-deco-12-01-24/ My New Style This oil painting ‘Neo Deco – 12-01-23’ incorporates new elements. Motivated as I was to continue my search after my last one I tried out something new. You see, some time ago I made a graphite pencil drawing ‘Woman in a Red Kimono – 03-11-22’. To my opinion that one already shows all the necessary elements for my new Neo Deco style. An intricate linear play, repetition of forms and foremost a contrast between straight structures and curves. Maybe I realized what I actually to want to get out of the style. It resembles art deco closely but I think there is a difference. The latter was merely focused on architecture, apparel and sculptures. There were some typical deco painters like Tamara de Lempicka. Surely I didn’t see all of them but they merely focus on exaggerating and manipulating body proportions. I have different plans! Woman in a Red Kimono Aforementioned drawing became the artistic motif for this one. The goal was to enforce linear structures almost as if I would treat this piece as a drawing. Together with my paradigm ‘variation in repetition and repetition in variation’ I pursued a result sound yet vibrant. Obviously the challenge was to find a suitable color scheme. Originally I planned the satin cloth to be blue. However, during the process of painting this started to become a drag. Of couse I was stuck to the theme and had to paint the kimono red. Hence a green underlayer and I even kept a lot green in the attire, cloth and couch. My regular model is of indian descendance and in certain lighting her skin complexion turns golden yellow. Conclusion: the satin had to become purplish. Color Balance Last dots on the i’s were to soften the background a bit with muted oranges. In honor of art deco I decorated the couch with a typical pattern from that era. All in all, I think the composition is in balance now. Reds and yellows are engirdled by greens and purples. The unsaturated black lines serve as ligaments, tying but also separating planes of colors. This way weaker colors act as a counterbalance of the pungent kimono red. On to the next! Oil on linen (60 x 80 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: original (if not sold), prints & printable - visit my website: Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2023/12/31/berg-en-dal-30-12-23/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-berg-en-dal-30-12-23/ What Color Can Do This pastel drawing ‘Berg en Dal – 30-12-23’ is the second of new pastel editions to an ever growing series. The one I completed last December 19th exceeded my expectations. Frankly, I didn’t think I could add more to the reference drawing I made in May. Then you can see what color can do. After my Christmas drawing of December 25th it was time to get back in the saddle again. Nothing else to do either. Outside there is a nasty gloom and I like to avoid fireworks at all costs. This way I still have my eyes and hands on January 1st. Really, it’s a travesty indeed. People buy for 100 million+ euro here in the Netherlands. Foreigners often are surprized when they come to visit us. They say it looks like a war zone at 12 o’clock. Poor Ukrainian refugees. Those millions were better spent in the Ukraine! Driving Force Couldn’t this one major driving force: to create art and offer people perspective on beauty? By all means, my pastel chalks are way less expensive than a regular portion of fireworks. Another advantage: my colors don’t fade away instantly. Flares of color in the sky do. With this pastel I also want to convey another idea. Beauty isn’t about spectacular pops that rip open your eardrums but in silence. Hence my latest creation that speaks for itself. A wandering beauty silently expressing captivating colors. New Year’s resolution that now occurs to me: spend more time in nature. A Blank Spot The reference drawing I used for this one I completed on November 2nd. Even though that one was impressionist rather than cubist I decided to turn another way this time. Lately I feel I also have to delve into the process of abstracting landscapes in pastel and oil. Somewhat of a blank spot in my oevre. I always have considered my pastels more suited to create impressionism than cubism. Maybe that has got something to do with a specific aspect. Broken hatched strokes create these impressionistic views better than other mediums. On the other hand I always feel myself much of a cheat doing big planes with chalks. That’s easy and perhaps I fear of delivering sloppy and hasty work. Cancel fear for 2024 I’d say and try it anyway. This pastel of this beautiful scenery in Berg en Dal is a first start. Pastel drawing on Clairfontaine Pastel Mat paper (69.4 x 49.8 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: original (if not sold), prints & printables - visit my website: Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2023/12/26/duivelsberg-25-12-23/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-duivelsberg-25-12-23/ Newest Addition This graphite pencil drawing ‘Duivelsberg – 25-12-23’ is my newest addition to my ever growing Berg en Dal Series. Last pastel was great to do and I am inspired enough to expand the series with new ones. The scenery has everything a landscape artist could wish for. Even little creeks with wonderful water reflections run through it. I’m very much an advocate of this region. I often dwell here except for today. Which is Christmas by the way. It’s gloomy outside so I’d stick to an earlier reference photo I used for this one. Drawing During Christmas Last works consist of two pastels and an oil painting. ‘Sinterklaas in Voorburg – 03-12-23’ was my last graphite pencil drawing. That’s due to my intention to take up my pastel chalks once again. Sometimes you simply forget about a certain medium. With one in progress I feel confident to do a little sidestep in graphite again. Besides that, I’m with my parents now and t.v. shows don’t attrack me that much. What can an artist during such a holiday than to sip on an Irisch coffee and simply draw? To the East Last artworks handling this area were situated in the west. I thought it was about time to do a sketch of the Duivelsberg to the east of Berg en Dal. You might remember the scene. ‘Beek – 21-07-19’ is made live on just about the same location as this one. The dominant tree in the middle of the drawing is the same anyway. There is this path that leads to the Filosofendal. From that I took a picture in the direction of this very tree. Artistic Approach As to my artistic approach there was a nice distribution of tonal values I could work with. In the front there were many nice dark tonal regions. These are the leafy structures in the upper part of corner and the lower part formed by the path. The aim was to make this one not cubist as the previous but impressionist. These decisions came on a whim really. I think I fell in love with the smashing chiaroscuro depiction. The tonal distribution in the picture lends itself to impressionism more than to abstract forms cubistically. I’m glad I can handle, together with surrealism, all these styles. I hope I put a distinct mark on all these three and people will be able to acknowledge that. Graphite pencil drawing (Faber Castell, Pitt Graphite matt, 14B) on Winsor & Newton Bristol board paper (21 x 14.8 x 0.1 cm – A5 format) Artist: Corné Akkers

Available as original (if not sold), prints & printable. Check my website for more info: Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2023/12/20/berg-en-dal-19-12-23/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-berg-en-dal-19-12-23/ Berg en Dal – 19-12-23 Another Go in Pastel This pastel drawing ‘Berg en Dal – 19-12-23’ is an elaboration of a graphite pencil drawing from May this year. After Golden 13-12-23 I wanted to do something different. Maybe altogether doing landscapes in pastel is on my mind again for quite a while now. My Series under the same name I sold out long ago. They are scattered over the whole word: China, America and Europe. Perhaps you remember Dali and Picasso, two great artists who were commercial talents as well. It’s obvious I love Berg en Dal so much and all pastels have been sold. Why combine these two facts and have another go? Cubism Back in 2014 when I made these pastels I was only discovering and forging my cubist style into roundism. That is, with regard to the female form. Later I started to apply cubism to cityscapes and landscapes as well. An example is the Schiedam Series. Well, preliminary work has been done already in this particular case. I liked the concept that much I decided this to be the kick-off for additions to the series. Approach Setting out proportions and forms was easy. Colors aren’t, obviously due to their relative character. That is why I decided for a save bet: pink and purples, orange, blue and green. So two cool and two profound warm colors. The trick is to not explode into colour saturation too much right away. Softening those later is quite a drag. Soft pastels like Schmincke simply don’t allow much of a second coat on top of a first. So, walking on the brink for me. Got that right, then I found some colored patches in the background too protruding. Contour delineations were to harsh. I soften them by rubbed them together. Finally I topped it off by enforcing some linear structures in the trees in the front. Surely I don’t think I can improve it now so I stopped. Pastel drawing on Clairfontaine Pastel Mat paper (69.4 x 49.8 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2023/12/13/golden-13-12-23/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-golden-13-12-23/ Pastel Again This pastel drawing ‘Golden – 13-12-23’ follows directly after my last oil painting ‘Cosmic Dance – 10-12-23’. Last time I made a pastel ‘Melina Noëlle – 17-09-22’ was a long time ago. That was merely a sketch. Lately I like doing more oil paintings because I think those lag considerably behind graphite pencil drawings in number. Besides that, there are so many drawings waiting to be converted to oil paint. But what about pastels? There are artworks I did in all three executions like my Singularity series. In fact I had just the right piece in mind and that was ‘Roundism – 22-03-17’. Personally, I think this one also could be well put into a cubist oil in the near future. Golden Series Naturally this one fits right in the Golden Series I started three years ago. I must confess it has proven not to be the most popular series. I am happy with it nonetheless. The series revolves around the representation of complexions of women of color. I became interested in colours they bear and the complex relations between these colors. Such may also be caused by my regular model who is of Indian descendance. There are so many colour varieties ranging from orange, yellow and pink to blue, purple and even green. These I had in mind right from the start. Nor Realist Nor Abstract You see, transfering the drawing is easy because the concept and the abstract forms are already there. In the past and also now I see the biggest trouble is to choose the right color scheme. However, this doesn’t necessarily will match possibilities of forms in monochrome. Therefor I had to adjust them a bit in order to have colors represent bodily features in an appropiate manner. Even that I figured out very quickly. The most challenging part though was to make both the realist aspect and the level of abstraction plausible. Almost at the end I found the depiction had become too realistic. Therefor I enforced the circular blue lines in order to have people enjoy both aspects. I hope they do. Do you? Pastel drawing on Clairfontaine Pastel Mat paper (69.4 x 49.8 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Available for sale (if not sold), prints & printable - visit my website: Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2023/12/10/co... Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/print... Great Concept This oil painting ‘Cosmic Dance – 10-12-23’ is an elaboration of my graphite pencil drawing ‘Roundism – 10-03-20’. Many of them still are in queue. Another one finished though. As explained before I consider all my sketches and drawings prestudies for paintings. It goes without saying I choose the ones I consider the best first. This one I always liked because of the concept. The reference picture I used is from the 1920s or maybe early 1930s. Unfortunately I couldn’t retrieve a name so I cannot give credit to the original photographer. A great model she is too by the way. I am fond of the overstretched position. Therefor I hope I can find a woman who can strike such a pose any time soon now. Tune Down Color Saturation So far so good. I transferred the model freehandedly and quickly. Then I found myself facing the real challenge like I knew I had it coming. Normally I carefully avoid using the same color schemes over and over again. Surely that’s out of fear of getting bored or becoming a one trick pony and so I experimented. Yeah, right! Soon the painting exploded into colors way too saturated. That’s what I also suffered from doing the last oil, called ‘Nina – 12-10-23’. Lately I am very sensitive to this phenomenon. Perhaps this has something to do with my taste becoming more subtle. I have read about artists in the past going through the same process. In younger years one often ‘twist and shout’ whereas in later years one becomes receptive to browns and greys. They represent more subtle conversations between colors. Therefor I always associate colors with human relations. Walk Down the Path Consequently I decided to change things around a bit and redo big planes in the negative space first. I let them vary from black, earth reds, greens and then blue. It doesn’t happen that often I used this hugh amounts of black. I remember Renoir called it the ‘queen of colors’. When I come to think of it the oil resembles last two paintings both in style and color scheme. It is as if this is the path I just had to walk down. Besides that, even though I am interested in laying thick patches of paint I have realized something else. Everybody is or has been doing that for ages now. I can’t excel in that or stand out in the crowd. Therefor I’d rather stick with smooth transitions a little bit longer. They are distinct and represent the subtlety I wanted to create. Title The title ‘Cosmic Dance’ refers not only to the dancing lady but merely to the dance of frequencies of light. The woman only represents them. I paraphrase the first sentences of Genesis: First there was darkness and out of that light and colors arose. Worth mentioning is I was listening to ‘Kozmik’ by Ziggy Marley, making up this title. Everything in its right place! Oil on wood panel (100 x 63 cm)

Visit my website for sales info (original (if not sold), prints & printable): Website link: https://corneakkers.com/2023/12/04/sinterklaas-in-voorburg-03-12-23/ Printable: https://corneakkers.com/product/printable-sinterklaas-in-voorburg-03-12-23/ Refurbishing This graphite pencil drawing ‘Sinterklaas in Voorburg – 03-12-23’ is my first one after I my big operation on my website. It doesn’t happen that often I skip a beat. That is, not producing a drawing or painting per week but once in a while it does. Last one was ‘Clingendael – 15-11-23’. You see, I was working on refurbishing my website for months now. That is finished now. If you want to, you can have a peek and let me know what you think. Back to drawing because I missed that most intensely and I even have an oil under way. Sinterklaas in Town Saturday 18th November after art class I had another cultural activity. I had to attend a concert of the Voorburgs Vocaal Ensemble in the Koningskerk at 3 PM. Time for bite to eat in advance and so I went straight into the Herenstraat. I didn’t realize Sinterklaas (dutch Santa Claus) was in town. Many children all dressed up reminded me to that fact though. There he was, walking down from his steamboot into the Kerkstraat. However, it was raining cats and dogs. On a whim I decided to take some photos. In front of Restaurant Barquichon he stopped in front of a group of children to greet them. Off I went to the concert and forgot about the pics I took. Elections That was until after our elections for a new parliament last November 22nd. Now there is this guy called ‘Geert Wilders’ who won the elections. Many kicked up a lot of fuss because his ‘party’ doesn’t take our constitution too seriously. His programme show a lot of topics possibly conflicting with democratic principles. One divisive factor is the wanted return of ‘Black Pete’, the loyal Servant of Sinterklaas. Wokers and anti-racists fought for de-blackening him because of the association with our national slavery history. Not Wilders. He suffers from the Golden-Age syndrome and wants a return to traditional values. The old times were the best and so Black Pete is back on the menu. Innocent Children’s Festival These times are troublesome. Many in The Netherlands fear Trumpian situations. Maybe even a political pull to the right like in Slovakia, Poland or Hungary. I am one of those many. On the other hand I don’t like movements like ‘Kick Out Black Pete’ and wokers. They lay claim to the most political correct opinion nowadays. Before you know it, Pete has to be contracted as an employee with social benefits, health insurance and above all, equal to Sinterklaas. Preferably white and perhaps Sint black for a change. An innocent children’s festival attacked by both sides. Isn’t that what’s going on? There is no middle way it seems. Everything is shredded to pieces by extremists. I hope this drawing will remind people of the innocence and joyful character the concept of Sint and Piet