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At the start of her artistic career in 1968, Ineke Calis primarily applied herself to oil painting and water colours. In 1971, however, the artist became fascinated with the silks-screen printing technique. In the years that followed she refined her skills in this art form and in the course of that process works of art in a very personal and distinctive style emerged. In silk-screen Calis' is able to achieve her full artistic potential, witness her recent work which is of a high standard. Graphic perfection is of paramount importance to her: all her work is hand-made in her own workshop and printed in very limited editions. Photography lies at the basis of her silk-screens. In the darkroom she enlarges her chosen objects and removes all unwanted elements from the negative, in order to reduce the original figurative imprint into an abstract design, upon which all further experiments are based. Colour is an essential element of the compositions. To intensify the simplicity and strength of the picture, the artist consciously makes use of a limited amount of colour, producing by that a dramatic effect. Because of the great power it emenates, the port of Rotterdam is the artist's main source of inspiration. There she finds an abundance of forms in primarily unflexible materials such as iron and steel. Calis endeavours to reflect the cosmopolitan vigour of the dockside in her silk-screens. In her own words: "I never depict people, my first choise is always for technical objects, things which are made by people. The most important thing is to convey their vigour. If the public ara able to pick that up from my silk-screens, I have been succesful". Owing
to her representation, the artist encourages the observer to take a closer
look at everyday things of life which are set in another dimension by
her representation. She manages to evoke an estranging atmosphere and
her art has steadily become more profound over the years. |