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Horrific simplicity

A review of the Luc Tuymans exhibition

By Adam Konvalinka

If you're confused or unnerved by the paintings on display by artist Luc Tuymans, that was the artist's intention, said Wexner Center tour guide Irene Tesfai. Tuymans uses bland colors and a blurred painting style to create artwork that explores issues like the Holocaust, Belgium's occupation of the Congo and the post 9/11 world. The work is striking in how horrific events and topics are depicted in simple paintings, often reproductions of photographs or video.

"Tuymans reminds us that things are not always as they seem," Tesfai said. This is evident in works like "The Heritage VI," a portrait of a grandfatherly-looking old man, which is a reproduction of a photograph of a Klu Klux Klan leader.

"I try to create a feeling of distrust of the image - of every type of imagery, basically - because an image can always be manipulated," Tuymans said to the Wall Street Journal.

A Belgian artist from Antwerp, Tuymans is one of the most influential working artists today. His first retrospective in America is available for viewing at the Wexner Center through Jan. 3.

Sophomore Michelle Boerio was shadowing a tour of the exhibition for the fifth time as part of a tour guide training program. "What I like about the work is, even when it is confusing or not obvious, he is willing to tell you what it is about," she said. The work is created in groups that, along with the titles hint at the paintings' meanings. "He gives clues in the captions," Tesfai said. Knowing what the work is about helps the viewer recognize the topic and meaning more easily.

The painting "Chalk" is of two hands each holding an unidentifiable white object. It is meant to be the two teeth that were all that remained of the first Congolese President Patrice Lumumba. A leader in the Congo's independence movement against Belgium, Lumumba was deposed and assassinated, and it is speculated that the Belgian government and CIA may have had a role in the conspiracy. Tuymans demanded his government take accountability for this unresolved period of the country's history and in 2001 the Belgian Government accepted, "moral responsibility in the circumstances that led to the death of Lumumba." A formal apology followed in 2002, although the government denied any direct participation in planning or carrying out the assassination. In his work, Tuymans explores the impact of colonialism and the post-colonial situation in the Congo.

Much of Tuymans' work is in regards to the Holocaust. He grew up hearing stories about World War II and explores the way it impacted Europe. The paintings in the collection titled "Der Architekt" express the horror of the Holocaust with simple images, such as a bleak gas chamber. "The work has this dichotomy of seeming blah, but depicting events so horrific they can almost not be portrayed," Tesfai said.

In the final collection, "Proper," Tuymans expresses his view of America after the attacks of 9/11. A portrait of Condoleeza Rice and a painting of a perfect fancy place setting show his view that America is a country struggling to right itself, desperately hanging on to appearances to maintain normalcy.

Taking a tour will give you all the information needed to fully appreciate the work. They are available free at 5 p.m. every Thursday. If you like to appreciate artwork at your own pace, pre-recorded audio tours are available by cell phone. Admission is $5 for the general public and free for students with a college I.D. The exhibition is also open to the public free of charge from 4-8 p.m. on Thursdays and the first Sunday of every month.

Originally Published: November 18, 2009

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