Presenting the Bueler-Bernard Collection

Gradual 10 - From childhood on I have been often assailed.
Upon my back was built
A network of squares
Whatever. Water and wind of ZION
, 1991
oil, on canvas, 204x172cm

Gradual 10 is part of a series of 15 works entitled Graduales, a series alluding to sacred spaces. The series has been featured in the catalogue Psalms of 1992. Thus, it can be ascertained that the painting contains strong spiritual ties.

As the title of the artwork suggests, the painting considers memories of the past and more specifically raw experiences of the artist’s youth. Though the subject may be loaded, the painting approaches the theme in a positive manner, not least because of the use of bright colours. The encrypted title ends with the phrase ‘Water and Wind of Zion*’ and so, perhaps, metaphorically speaking, the water and wind will erase the memories of the past. In this context the painting could be regarded as an emblem of hope.

In the accompanying catalogue Tony Bueler wrote the following poetic interpretation intended for this painting:

Wired gate to the primeval of your sources swell,
myriads of lighting showers piercing veils of oblivion,
blissful fragrance of foreboding,
soothing pangs of separation.

*Zion: In the Old Testament Zion was the easternmost of the two hills of ancient Jerusalem. In biblical usage, “Mount Zion” often means the city rather than the hill itself. It has great religious importance because Mount Zion is the place where Yahweh, the God of Israel, dwells.

(Britannica p. 922 Micropaedia Ready Reference, book 12, 15^th Ed. 1994)

untitled, 1968
oil, paper, on canvas, 175x150cm

Van Goudzwaard has created a rather sinister scene that is offset against a golden yellow textured background.  It is a poignant work, with a hard hitting visual impact that could almost be describes as an anti-aesthetic gesture.

A big black sombrero-esque shape has been given a central position, black strands stream from it and across most of the picture surface. Two almost identical thick vertical bars dominate the lower part of the composition. They could be seen as a symbolism of the duality of existence; man-woman or materiality versus spirituality. The dematerialising objects and the conflicting elements brought about by dualism could point at the complicated relationship that society has with its material environment. The painting has once aptly been described by a visitor to the museum as created by a sardonic mystic.

The Muses, 2002
oil, on canvas, 210x921cm

Colour, light and joy bursts from this epic work like a big bang of creation. It is Paul Koning’s interpretation of the Muses. The origins of the Muses date back to ancient Greece, known as the sister goddesses of the liberal arts and sciences and the patron goddesses of poets (who in ancient times were also musicians). It is thought that the word museum stems from this cult.

Each of the nine figures possesses a musical quality reminiscent of musical keys. Lines are painted across the canvases like delightful ribbons of colour that thicken and become thinner; they vibrate like a rhythmic dance or an energetic field of force with a glow of light that surrounds some of the lines. A golden eye that crosses the entire work is a binding element that connects each panel. Could it be the watchful eye of Mnemosyne, the mother of the Muses? A rich rainbow spans the surface of each piece. If the first and last panel were laid together the colours would appear as a continuum, like an endless source of inspiration.

Series 6. Landscape no. 51, 1988
mixed media, on canvas, 160x234cm

The four paintings by Jaume Barrera in the museum’s collection are part of an extensive series created in the 1980's, dryly entitled Landscape . The series incorporates over fifty assembled paintings and can therefore be considered as a highlight of the artist’s oeuvre.

Landscape paintings are exceedingly rare in the second half of the 20th and early part of the 21st century. Barrera's series presents an entirely new take on the genre.  The artworks are made up of assemblies of differing sized canvases that are each carefully designed and fitted together, displaying sculptural qualities.  Monochrome panels contrast impasto coloured ones, having the side-effect that some of these panels have not fully dried yet; adding an accidental condition to the works. Fiery reds are coolly off set against greens and deep blues. The top rims of the artworks are always undulated; recalling movement and the soft silhouettes of the Catalan Pyrenees.