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Amsterdam in The Future, 2001
Oil on canvas
80x60cm
Amsterdam Desert, 2003
Oil on canvas
120x80cm
Amsterdam High Rise, 2005
Oil on canvas
80x100cm
Threatening dark clouds cluster above the fast and furiously futuristic metropolis of 'Amsterdam In The Future' (2001). Complex architectural constructions dominate De Haan's oil painting in which Amsterdam's canal houses amalgamate with the skyscrapers and air-transport lines the future has to offer. De Haan's Amsterdam echoes Fritz Lang's 1927 groundbreaking film Metropolis: a dystopian, dark, capitalist metropolis, with Babylonian towers that reach into the highest regions of our imagination and fear.
In his work, De Haan shows a fascination for architecture, city planning and the changes that take place in the urban landscape. He combines this with an outrageous imagination and a meticulous execution of his self-taught painting technique, which is controlled and well managed without losing its liveliness and movement.
'Amsterdam Desert' (2003) has, as the title may imply, a more desolate feel to it. The city is in ruin and not much is left of this once so bubbly Western European capital, originally built on sand. Deserted and demolished buildings, pieces of wall and a subsided tower of the collapsed Wester Church are the only remains of human culture. The dusty streetlight in the front left corner doesn't offer much console either; the drought, heat and infinite loneliness are sensible. No human presence, no resources and little hope for something new and alive.
De Haan has a dramatic style of painting and combines an old technique and visual language with contemporary, imaginary and futuristic themes. His paintings are a mixture of the Old Dutch masters, a hint of Dali and a generous splash of architectural imagination. In his work, impressive skies can be seen above a completely surrealist cityscape, and mesmerising perspectives are applied to buildings such as the Twin Towers and the cathedral of Milan to create an atmosphere of alienation and detachment.
Tobias de Haan won the fifth prize at the Florence Biennale in 2007.
To see more of his work registered on Saatchi Online click here.
Georgia Haagsma |
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Georgia Haagsma studied at the University of Amsterdam, the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and moved to London to finish her BA in Cultural Studies at University College London, where she graduated with honours in Art, Science and Practice. She is currently working in the Press Department at the Saatchi Gallery, London. |
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| Published on 20-04-2009 |
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