Hans van Weerd-
Title : Peace, Victory, Valor. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Medium: Charcoal and pastel on gessoed paper
Price : AUD 495
About the artwork:
My inspiration was a photo from a 1950’s edition of The National Geographic Magazine, with the caption ‘Netherlands gift tulips brighten the grounds of the Amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which stands among 67,300 gravesites.’ A photo that I found of the east face of the tomb shows the three Greek figures who lend the title to my artwork. An exquisite frieze, classcs and dignified, yet elegant. Not the dove in the hand of Peace, and the olive branch in the hand of Victory. Valor has just sheethed his sword. Who would know how many more times it would be drawn again? An endless cycle, as the many conflicts after the tomb had been completed, have demonstrated, over and over again. On a lighter note, being Dutch-born meant I had to give those ‘Netherlands gift’ tulips that the photo caption refers to, promininence of place as well.
About Hans:
I am a Dutch-born Melbourne-based contemporary visual artist. I sketch, I draw and I paint. I am fascinated by people and what makes them the individual persons they are. I am equally eager to depict the man-made world and -being a biologist by training- the natural world. My aim is to capture the important yet fleeting moments in life, A loved one, a child’s first steps, a particular expression in someone’s face, a posture, but also musicians playing their instruments, the choir I sing in during rehearsal, beautiful short poses of a model during a lockdown-induced online life drawing session, people gathering for an open air concert, on the train, in the waiting lounge of an airport, crowds in the city. I sketch, i draw and i paint, every day, attempting to capture the energy, the tension, the movement, de dynamics of what it is that i see int world around me, at home, online, on a stroll in the park or in the city,