Raoul De Keyser Freedom at DAVID ZWIRNER

Raoul De Keyser (b. 1930-) has been painting subtle confounding abstractions for fifty years. This Belgian artist seems to have reduced his means to their most essential; small ineptly stretched canvases, using only charcoal and gesso to create compositions employing circles squares and triangles with child-like simplicity. The apparent weakness of the work is ironically its greatest strength. De Keyser may have been one of the harbingers of the current trend of "crappy little paintings", in which the titles reveal a biting wit.

[@adriancarroll6995]

I can’t see any pleasure or joyousness in making that work.

[@michaelroberts8300]

Thank you James. Last year (2015) at Zwirner London there was a marvellous De Keyser's show. There was also an interesting talk given/discussion with Luc Tymans who shed light on De Keyser's work and the part of Belgium they both come from. Interesting stuff. He painted what was around him, out his window, his neighbourhood etc etc, he didn't travel too much.

[@dermic]

beautiful crappy little paintings! understood he is the godfather of Luc Tuymans Thanks James & Kate

[@yifatgat]

love his work...

[@matmos9293]

why no one engage with the paintings they all talk to one another.....

[@jameskalmroughcut]

I ask myself that question at every opening I go to here in New York.

[@matmos9293]

what does that say about people's view of art, do people go to art shows because it's regarded posh and cultured or they go because artist are communicating something through their art, art is semiosis... it is as if one goes to someone's speech but pay no attention to what is being said...

[@paddyskate]

Always had a soft spot for De Keyser. One of the first painters that made me want to pick up the brush. I no longer make abstract work but his decision making and material choices still resonate. Have you any thoughts on the relationship between Forrest Bess and Raoul De Keyser ?

[@krisc6216]

If there is a need to put a reductionist, seemingly effortless painting in a context to explain why, doesn’t that reduces the painting merely to an illustration of a statement? The image should stand on its own, and the focus on the value should be more about how gifted the artist is to create, or aim for, an image that is out of this world. If not, where do you draw the line between painting and conceptual or installation art? Because let’s be honest, it doesn’t take much of a particular skill, to put down a Raoul De Keyser like painting.

[@delawarr1970]

The reason he got a venue like this is because he followed the courage of his convictions

[@patrickmcdaniel8123]

Thanks for the laugh.

[@cliffdariff74]

Ummmm......? A cross between outsider art and vegetables.

[@culturefan]

If I had just seen one of those painting I may not have thought much, but as a collection they gel together better.

[@sptfgpn]

sounds a tad underwhelmed

[@andrewmorris9138]

Belgian artists are all the rage these days. That is why this guy got the venue.

[@jameskalmroughcut]

@veuvecliquot If you go to thefreedictionary .type in wane and click on their pronunciation button you will hear wane pronounced as wayne, not won (one). Check it out. And the definition: To decrease gradually in size, amount, intensity, or degree; decline.

[@larsetom1]

Now that I know what Provisional Painting is (thanks to you JK), I think de Keyser is one of the best examples (producing some of the best work). When I think about his work, disparate painters such as Forrest Bess and John Zurier come to mind. A deceptive simplicity of Bess and the space of Zurier.

[@PietRoorda]

The comments is very amusing. It sounds as if he has a hard time grasping what he is commenting on.

[@patrickmcdaniel8123]

Not even worthy enough to be called rubbish.

[@1kokkola1]

the word is not wan , won its shite.

[@MrIrons-og3rg]

disgraceful