Zagreb

During the last stages of his life, in his home for the elderly, Willem van Genk held only a four-coloured ballpoint pen in his feeble fingers. ‘Zagreb’ is a collage of these ballpoint illustrations, blended with photocopies of drawings, over which Van Genk drew again and embellished with fine and coarse orange nets. The central window provides a view of a street between tall buildings, where two ladies meet. The facades blend seamlessly into the square grid of the orange nets. Through the mesh we see a man with his back turned to the viewer, reading the newspaper. From a photocopied drawing we catch a glimpse of a crowded trolleybus station. And then we are in the audience at a classical concert, where all the members of the extensive orchestra reach the crescendo with their wind and string instruments. The room shimmers. Van Genk drew over the contours of the powerfully gesticulating conductor at least four times, holding at least six batons, to portray the man’s passion.

Willem van Genk; Zagreb, details