Jan de Maesschalck 2005-2014 by Bernard Dewulf

Everything can come crashing down, but you never know if or when that’s going to happen. There is almost always a sense of undefined menace. Not everything happens on the surface, far from it, and whoever takes the time to look slowly will notice that the power of these works lies in their suggestiveness. Besides, the devil is in the detail, and that’s a good thing. ‘So you must always look at the paintings of Jan De Maesschalck at least twice. Jan De Maesschalck joined the gallery in 2002. Guislain (Ghent), Berardo Collection Museum (Lisbon), De Warande (Turnhout) and Museum of Elsene/Ixelles (Brussels). His work has featured in group shows at Phoenix Art Museum, Bozar (Brussels), Musée d’Art Contemporain (Marseilles), Museum Dr.

Jan De Maesschalck has had solo exhibitions at Münsterland Festival (Billerbeck) and Mu.ZEE (Ostend). The tension lies in the artist’s fascination with light and shadow and his eye for detail. His work is subtle and highly suggestive. De Maesschalk often depicts women in isolated settings and specific architectural spaces, subjects that create an impression of intimacy or melancholy. In the creation of his paintings, he maintains the technical precision and speed of the drawing thanks to his use of fast-drying acrylic paint. The images of the figures he portrays are taken from the media, from which he then selects specific fragments to create his own images. He started his career as a draughtsman for different newspapers and (art) magazines. Jan De Maesschalck is a Belgian figurative painter who observes, selects, interprets and fantasizes. 1958 in Sint-Gillis-Waas (BE), lives and works in Stekene (BE).

Jan de Maesschalck 2005-2014 by Bernard Dewulf