Marjolein Rothman
18 Nov 2006 - 13 Jan 2007
MARJOLEIN ROTHMAN
'Iconography I'
18 November 2006 | 13 January 2007
(closed between 24 December | 9 January)
Motive Gallery is pleased to present, 'Iconography I', the first of a two-part exhibition by Dutch painter Marjolein Rothman (1974) to be seen from 18 November 2006 to 13 January 2007.
According to the Longman dictionary, iconography refers to 'the way a particular people, religious or political group represents ideas in pictures or images.' But, how and to what extent, in their turn, do images shape the way people think about themselves and about the world? In this first part of Marjolein Rothman’s project ‘Iconography’ - to be followed next spring by a second exhibition - the Dutch young painter presents new works that prolong her previous endeavor at tackling the issue of the identity politics of perception. 'Iconography I' is constituted by a series of large format canvases representing the two famous 19th century French saints, Bernadette de Soubirous and Therese de Lisieux; here the centrality of images in the making of a collective religious identity is dramatized by the very visions that allowed these two women to become part of the official records of history.
Since she finished the Rijksakademie in 2004, Marjolein Rothman has been seeking by way of painting to deconstruct specific cultural symbols in order to provoke a reflection on the importance of images in the making of collective identities (whether these are based on religious beliefs, philosophic-political convictions or nationalistic sentiments). In Rothman’s earlier paintings one could see objects, monuments and figures that spoke about a past, the access to which has been regulated by images that have become iconic. By contrasting large blank areas with geometrically shaped and uniformly colored surfaces, Rothman creates fragmentary images that seem to be emerging from the surface of the canvas or, on the contrary, to be withdrawing from it. In this way, these fragmented visions undermine the iconic and solid nature of their models while also, paradoxically, producing powerfully suggestive works, the ghost-like appearance of which - between complete presence and absence - provide them with a new mythical dimension. They rise, as would shadows from a past still haunting the present; they make us ask ourselves: Is the past such a coherent and ultimately knowledgeable material as the images that inspire Rothman would ultimately seem to insinuate?
‘Iconography I', after an investigation of the official iconography of Bernadette de Soubirous and Therese de Lisieux, Rothman chose to work not only on the popular images of these saints, but also on lesser-known depictions. This was done in order to capture different moments of their respective lives, thus delaying the moment of recognition in the eyes of the viewer, so that the surrounding myths of the saints might not immediately outshine the images themselves.
Just as soberly as Rothman’s color palette, the young painter wavers between disbelief and the urging need to feel identified with these women who were once not only holy figures but beautiful and enigmatic young individuals. And this is why we cannot help but keep on looking at Rothman’s paintings: They both acknowledge the impasse that great stories of heroes, villains and saints have led us to experience in the past while appearing as symptoms of the challenge they still offer to us - for in fact we haven’t yet found a way to circumvent the need to believe. And perhaps one of Rothman’s ultimate answers to this issue is her faith in that, ultimately, each of us are participants in the making of history, that Therese and Bernadette were - beyond the role they were given to play in a certain myth that gave identity to a broader group - just like you and me. [CS]
'Iconography I'
18 November 2006 | 13 January 2007
(closed between 24 December | 9 January)
Motive Gallery is pleased to present, 'Iconography I', the first of a two-part exhibition by Dutch painter Marjolein Rothman (1974) to be seen from 18 November 2006 to 13 January 2007.
According to the Longman dictionary, iconography refers to 'the way a particular people, religious or political group represents ideas in pictures or images.' But, how and to what extent, in their turn, do images shape the way people think about themselves and about the world? In this first part of Marjolein Rothman’s project ‘Iconography’ - to be followed next spring by a second exhibition - the Dutch young painter presents new works that prolong her previous endeavor at tackling the issue of the identity politics of perception. 'Iconography I' is constituted by a series of large format canvases representing the two famous 19th century French saints, Bernadette de Soubirous and Therese de Lisieux; here the centrality of images in the making of a collective religious identity is dramatized by the very visions that allowed these two women to become part of the official records of history.
Since she finished the Rijksakademie in 2004, Marjolein Rothman has been seeking by way of painting to deconstruct specific cultural symbols in order to provoke a reflection on the importance of images in the making of collective identities (whether these are based on religious beliefs, philosophic-political convictions or nationalistic sentiments). In Rothman’s earlier paintings one could see objects, monuments and figures that spoke about a past, the access to which has been regulated by images that have become iconic. By contrasting large blank areas with geometrically shaped and uniformly colored surfaces, Rothman creates fragmentary images that seem to be emerging from the surface of the canvas or, on the contrary, to be withdrawing from it. In this way, these fragmented visions undermine the iconic and solid nature of their models while also, paradoxically, producing powerfully suggestive works, the ghost-like appearance of which - between complete presence and absence - provide them with a new mythical dimension. They rise, as would shadows from a past still haunting the present; they make us ask ourselves: Is the past such a coherent and ultimately knowledgeable material as the images that inspire Rothman would ultimately seem to insinuate?
‘Iconography I', after an investigation of the official iconography of Bernadette de Soubirous and Therese de Lisieux, Rothman chose to work not only on the popular images of these saints, but also on lesser-known depictions. This was done in order to capture different moments of their respective lives, thus delaying the moment of recognition in the eyes of the viewer, so that the surrounding myths of the saints might not immediately outshine the images themselves.
Just as soberly as Rothman’s color palette, the young painter wavers between disbelief and the urging need to feel identified with these women who were once not only holy figures but beautiful and enigmatic young individuals. And this is why we cannot help but keep on looking at Rothman’s paintings: They both acknowledge the impasse that great stories of heroes, villains and saints have led us to experience in the past while appearing as symptoms of the challenge they still offer to us - for in fact we haven’t yet found a way to circumvent the need to believe. And perhaps one of Rothman’s ultimate answers to this issue is her faith in that, ultimately, each of us are participants in the making of history, that Therese and Bernadette were - beyond the role they were given to play in a certain myth that gave identity to a broader group - just like you and me. [CS]