Kristof Van Heeschvelde

Kristof Van Heeschvelde’s art is a broad reflection on reality. Instead of being an escapist where art is everything, ignoring the problems of reality, Kristof Van Heeschvelde’s paintings engage in a dialogue that is renewed on every canvas.
This approach is the theme of the work ‘Die Funktion der Kartoffel’(2021).
What is the function of a potato? Other than nourishing people? The cultural image should replace the potato, according to Kristof Van Heeschvelde. Is it possible to say, with Kristof, that art is more nourishing than physical food? It reminds us of the ascetic saints of the past who fasted and concentrated their minds on God.
Is Kristof Van Heeschvelde then a religious artist, because he transcends the physical? The theme of religion is present in ‘Wijze mannen/Wise men’ (2020), where the adoration of the Christ child by the three wise men is placed in a radically new context by the presence of an everyday mother.
Is Kristof Van Heeschvelde a radical painter? He is radical in the sense that he uses classical realist art for messages that are contemporary.
He uses the technical quality of a master of the past, often combining ironic and witty layers of meaning.
Many currents flow together in the art of Kristof Van Heeschvelde.
One of them is consolation. Modern man, struggling with his neuroses, finds beauty in the realistic art of the painter. He forgets his own problems for a while in order to discover new paths.
You can clearly see that beauty is a choice for Kristof Van Heeschvelde.

©Stijn Maene

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