Pascal van der Graaf

We live in a time where smartphones and television screens are echoing one calamity after another in our living rooms. The abbreviation BC has taken on a new meaning. It is no longer 'before Christ', It is now 'before Corona'.

Whether we are now living in a 'post-corona' era remains to be seen. The virus no longer has a grip on life as it did, but the roller coaster of misery seems far from over. The war with Ukraine was soon followed by the war between Israel and Palestine and the news is also filled with a possible war between China and Taiwan. The roller coaster goes on and on.

All this tragedy makes some people think that we have reached the end-times. Uncertainty is increasing day by day and affects the quality of life. Even where there is no calamity yet, the calamity is felt. Gloom and dejection are lurking.

But is the focus on misery actually healthy? End times have been predicted for as long as there is time. Of course, there is misery and there seems to be little good in the offing. However, the big question is; What to do?

The answer to this question is simply put, but difficult to do. Focus your attention on the positive and the beauty that is there. The beauty can be simple, it is enough as an antidote and a shift of emphasis that is necessary. Not saying you should look away when there's ugliness. It's about not staring at the ugliness. And in times full of ugliness, the trick is to find beauty again.

The three-dimensional paintings by artist Jan Maarten Voskuil are a fine example of an antidote. His paintings are deceptively simple. We see little color and little complexity. However, creating beauty by focusing on simplicity is not easy.

In all cultures around the world, there are 'simple' forms that affect the mind. Often this can be found in religion. Examples include: the hexagon, star-like shapes, squares and circles. They are shapes or symbols that can transcend the mind. This tradition is as old as mankind designs symbols.The shapes used by Jan Maarten Voskuil are based on this tradition, but he also designs his own shapes with the same appearance.

When we look at artists such as Mondrian, Kandinsky, Malevich and Rothko for example, we quickly overlook the intention of the artworks that are based on the spiritual experience. It's not just about the color planes and compositions themselves. It's about a little more or a lot more. These artists aspired to a kind of religious experience. A connection to something higher, a connection to the beauty that nature has to offer.

Although the artist Jan Maarten Voskuil does not use the same teachings as the aforementioned artists, the intention is the same. A subliminal experience based on simplicity. And if there's one thing needed in this time, it is: seeing, acknowledging, recognizing and experiencing the beauty in simplicity. If you can experience the beauty in the simple things in life, you can see the forest for the trees even in complex times. Perhaps it is a good time to fill the living rooms with paintings by Jan Maarten Voskuil.

帕斯卡・凡德葛瑞夫

我們生活在一個手機和螢幕在我們的客廳裡迴響著一場又一場災難的時代。縮寫BC被賦予了新的意義，不再是「在基督之前」，而是「新冠之前」。

我們現在是否生活在「後新冠」時代還有待觀察。病毒不再像以前那樣控制生活，但痛苦的雲霄飛車離終點似乎還遙遙無期。烏克蘭的戰事後緊接著以色列和巴勒斯坦的戰爭，新聞中還充斥著中國和台灣之間可能爆發戰爭的消息。雲霄飛車不曾停下。

所有這些悲劇讓一些人認為我們已經到了末日。不確定性日益增加，影響生活品質；即使沒有災難的地方，人也會感到痛苦。憂鬱和沮喪正在潛伏。

但關注痛苦真的有益健康嗎？只要「時間」存在，就預示了「結束」的必然。當然，痛苦是存在的，而且最近似乎也沒什麼好消息。然而，最大的問題是：怎麼辦？

這個問題的答案說來簡單，做起來卻很難——將你的注意力集中在那些既存的正向與美好上。 這樣的美好可以很簡單，足以作為解藥，以及必要的焦點轉移；不是說在面對醜惡時撇過頭去，而是不要盯著醜惡的地方。在充滿醜惡的年代，秘訣就是再次發現美。

藝術家 Jan Maarten Voskuil 的三維繪畫是解藥的絕佳範例。他的畫看似簡單，我們看到的色彩很少，也不複雜：然而，以「簡約」為核心來創造美，並不容易。

在世界各地的所有文化中，都有影響心靈的「簡單」形式。這通常可以在宗教中找到，例如六邊形、星形、正方形和圓形，它們是可以超越思想的形狀或符號。這項傳統與人類設計符號一樣古老。Jan Maarten Voskuil 使用的形狀是基於這項傳統，並在這個基礎上設計了自己的形狀。

例如，當我們看到蒙德里安、康丁斯基、馬列維奇和羅斯科等藝術家時，我們很快就會忽略這些基於精神體驗的藝術作品的意圖。這不僅是色彩平面和構圖本身的問題，這些藝術家渴望一種宗教性的體驗，與更高層次的事物相聯結、與大自然所提供的美好相聯繫。

儘管藝術家Jan Maarten Voskuil並沒有使用與前述藝術家相同的教義，但意圖是相同的——基於「簡單」的潛意識體驗。如果說此時我們需要一件事的話，那就是：看見、承認、認識和體驗簡單中的美。如果你能在生活中的簡單事物中體會到美，即使在複雜的時代，你也能見樹又見林。也許現在是客廳裡擺滿 Jan Maarten Voskuil 畫作的好時機。