Interview with Huub Ragas
Can you share more about your early experiences in art and what specifically drew you to the Academie voor Beeldende Vorming in Tilburg for your education?
I seeme to have been born with a pencil. Drawing was a hobby from the first moments I have conscious memory of. I remember making a drawing in colour of a church when i was very young that made quite an impression because it seemed to be made by an adult...
At some point in my life, I was not sure what to choose: art school because of my passion or a study as a chemist. In the end I choose for the more secure financial security of a chemist study after highschool. Later, when I felt more and more the need to paint and draw, I decided to study arts at the Academie voor Beeldende Vorming in Tilburg. I wanted to study arts in Tilburg, since that was the closest to Eindhoven where I was born and where most of my friends were living.
Your work often features small houses and urban scenes. What inspired you to focus on these themes, and how do they reflect your personal artistic vision?
I guess I was always interested on how society expresses the thoughts and ideas of their era in the way it shapes the urban environment, in architecture and landscaping. At times houses in my paintings are sort of a metaphor for the unique identity of each of us, maybe different in colour of detail but always recognizable as a house, as a place to live with unique colours. At times my paintings reflect on history. For instance in recent paintings with the theme of the terraced houses of dutch cities. But mostly I paint projecting my own ideas.
At times painting the sometimes simple forms of houses in a rythm of colours with repetition, windows, roofs and walls. Becomes a playfull mosaic of forms, at times resembling symbols or even a new kind of language. In my paintings I am interested in painting I am looking for a way to explore or express my inner world and reflect my ideas of society.
You've mentioned your style ranges from realistic to surrealistic and poetic. How has your style evolved over the years, and what influences have guided these changes?
When I started painting houses (about 10 years after finishing my art school) I was inspired by the paintings and ideas of Hundertwasser. His ideas of healing architecture as a response to modern architecture triggered me. The modern architecture seemed to lack appreciation of detail or love and to be merely functionall (the bare purpose of square boxes containing humans). Architecture using concrete, producing grey boxes, boring and lacking colour and love for life. The main architecture in my own country as a result of this mindset or philosophy seemed to lack a connection with humanity and seemd to be the result of distorted views. Grey functional very boring and monotom and not meant to really cherish humans. Not meant to make humanity thrive.
Inspired by paintings and ideas of Hundertwasser I started to paint houses, architecture and urban scenes. And at the same time I tried to introduce nature.into the urban scenes.
Since a child I always loved nature, which was and is very important in my life. I started experimenting with a more or less realistic and maybe naive approach and a more or less imperfect style (no straight lines) where we are in my opinion closer to our own true nature. After a while I started discovering my own track and my art moved in several directions. I started experimenting. For instance, a more or less realistic and naive and "imperfect" approach (using no straight lines), where we seem to be closer to our true nature. At times a poetic approach (with poetic or more surrealistic scenes). Sometimes a more abstracted approach, just studying forms, the space between forms (the illusion of space). Or an approach experimenting with paint as a material. For instance, using it as a thick layer or as a thin transparent layer and finding out the suggestion it reveals. For instance, using a glace of blue as a way to suggest a space behind the canvas, a window. At times an abstract approach using the shapes of houses and spaces around the houses as symbols or similar forms. At times experimenting with compositions and colours, or the 2 and 3 dimensions. At times a surrealistic approach in a more poetic style.
All these approaches are still present in paintings that I make until today, so you might say, I am into many styles at the same time.
Nature seems to play a significant role in your art. How do you integrate these natural elements into your urban-focused pieces?
As I perceive it, integrating nature with urban scenes- in my paintings-can be as hard as integrating nature in urban areas, in our cities. In modern cities there seems a lack of real connection with nature. We tend to "take the space and remove nature" when we build our cities and houses. This also happens on an individual scale. Instead of plants and gardens we use concrete and bricks.
In my earlier poetic surrealistic paintings, I paint urban scenes with fishes in the air and birds in the open spaces between the houses as if to suggest that they belong there, between our homes.
In my more recent paintings with themes like masks and totems I also use animals. Most of the times showing ait's my way of showing "the many faces of humans". Or you might say, it shows aspects of our behavior that have a resemblance with animality as well as human.
Your works have been compared to those of Hundertwasser and Escher. How do you feel about these comparisons, and are there elements of their styles that you consciously incorporate into your own?
I first of all consider it to be a compliment. As I said I have moved forward from my earlier way of painting in a way resembling Hundertwasser's paintings. I still feel there is a connection with the views of Hundertwasser and his approach of curing architecture. Some of my paintings show a resemblance with the paintings of Escher as well. They show a use of perspective that might resemble the Escher paintings at times shifting from a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional approach. Experimenting with new ways to suggest space or even reducing the suggestive space to a 2-dimensional plane.
Could you walk us through your creative process? How do you begin a new piece, and what are some of the challenges you face during creation?
Some paintings are made spontaniously using familiar elements or using an idea as a starting point. At times mainly with a pre mindset about the colours I am gonna use. At times just an idea about the composition. At the same time, I use scetchbooks and drawing for discovering new themes or a different approach. Drawing is very important in the process, experimenting usually takes place in these scetchbooks After sketching at some point I start making small paintings using one of my favorite materials (gouache paint). And from there moving to painting with acrylic paing on canvas.
Having exhibited your works in numerous countries, how do you find the reception of your art varies internationally? Do certain themes resonate more in some cultures than others?
Italy seems a very artloving culture and in general more then the countries from the north of Europe, including Holland. There is a lot of positive response and interest for my art from Italy.
Do certain themes resonate more in some cultures than others?
During the last few years when my paintings were in the gallery of Carré d'artistes in Amsterdam, my series of paintings about terraced houses seem to be especially apreciated by foreigners.
In general there seems to be a difference as my art was moved from one gallery of Carré to another in another country. At times harvesting more responses and appreciation.There seems to be at times a preference for certain colours (more or less colours, use of warm colours) And also there seems to be a certain interest depending on the use of forms and the style. The paintings that I made during the last 3-4 years about the theme masks seemed to be loved by groups of people but were not very well received in the gallery in Amsterdam. It seems that every theme has it's specific preferences.
Since 2007, you've been exhibiting at the Carré d’artistes gallery. How has this partnership influenced your career and exposure to the art world?
The partnership with Carré d'artistes has been very beneficial for promoting my art and has brought me good sales and success during the years, in all kind of cities around the world.. Some of my paintings were merely produced for Carré d'artistes using their squar sizes and matching their demands.. My art with them has been in many countries and cities around the world which has been a wonderful experience. It gave me an idea about preferences and likes in specific countries, In general my art at the galleries of Carré d'artistes brings satisfaction and apreciation.
What are your future goals as an artist? Are there new themes or techniques you are eager to explore?
On the short term I would like to make new series of large paintings on canvas theme architecture.for an international exhibition. Besides this I have plans for organising a special exhibition with the theme masks and totems. I also plan to experiment more with other technics (printing and graphical designs or using collage techniques). Besides this I have plans with sculptures and designing stained glass.
I plan to grow my artistic talents and gain more international appreciation and recognition of my art. I have a feeling that museums and galleries in general are not very open for my kind of art. This maybe has to do with the sign of times we are living in now.
My dream is to have a solo exhibition in a museum in my own country and to work with stained glass design on a project like the sagrada familia. But then again, this lifetime might be too short.
What advice would you give aspiring artists just starting and looking up to your work?
Praise your own qualities and talents, work hard and follow your heart. Strengthen your believe in yourself day by day and don't mind too much what people are thinking. Get to know yourself through your art and see your artworks as a wonderfull way to find your path through life. Your have a mission in life with your art. Be gratefull.
