Arie Hellendoorn: {Suite} Ponsonby

The hypothetical question of what is real and what is abstract offers itself in Arie’s painting through the use of human biology, something he has always been interested in, despite not having specialised medical knowledge. His intense background pattensmimic the appearance of human microbiology viewed under the microscope and look like little colourful clusters of cellsmoving over the painted surface. In his humanfigures, the veins and blood vessels are exposed through the open layers of the body, making yet more seemingly abstract patterns that invite a closer inspection.

Hellendoorn’s most recognisable aspect of his painting practise is still present and at its most refined in this series. Years of perfecting his technique of fluid acrylic paint on canvas has led to luminouspools of colour which gradually shift from light to dark in chosen sections. At the beginning of the painting process Arie starts with the figurative element and builds the sections around, each part responding to the last in terms of pattern and colour.