| Unlike the symbolic artists from the period around 1900, Walt used
of a great number of existing symbols from various cultures to create something different.
To achieve this a continuous study of the evolution of cultures (going from Africa to
the Far East and back) was essential. In order to reach his goal he used numerous scientific papers and/or conferences with professors and friends. Much like p.e. in rock-drawings and mandala's, he aswell is looking for the higher (Nous) and the lower (Phren) in the human being. Also the binary takes up a special place in his work such as light/dark, materialism/spirituality, yin/yang. From loose scribble and drawings eventually a concept arises by joining a couple of scetches. According to psycologist Jung these are the idees of the artist himself, grown out of his ego and the core of his psyche (alter-ego). To this must be subjoined that 'the model' plays an prominent part with her 'total being'. That is why after the preparatory study finding a suitable model is essential in order to apply a chosen subject on canvas. She will act as a 'medium', causing a tension between the preparatory study (theory) and the ultimate figuration (practice). The 'total human being' (homo universalis) is being respected with his ratio and emotio as an individual, as member of a group and as part of a specific culture area. This way every painting obtains someting unbounded, allowing 'THE WOMAN' (here a woman) to exceed her individuality (anima en animus) through her inner and outer 'being'. She is disconnected from a certain achetype, her personal en cultural orientation and all of this is estabished through the use of a symbolic language. Thanks to this everyone can gain an insight of a painting or aquarel in his own personal way. This interpretation is of major importance giving the figurative art a new élan. It is being released from its former 'clasping armour', where one had to know the story (used by the painter) in order to understand the content of his painting, excluding hereby any personal vision of the spectator. |