Art Story

"Rode doorgang" is a striking example of Roger Raveel's exploration of boundaries: between inside and outside, between abstraction and reflection. At the centre of the composition, a red passageway structures the pictorial space and - both literally and figuratively - creates a David Hockney-like depth gaze through the painting. In the lower right corner, green-yellow fields of colour suggest vegetation - familiar motifs that Raveel used frequently throughout his oeuvre. This hint of an outside world contrasts with the irregular white surface in the lower left, which presents itself more as a space for thought than a concrete place. At the top and in the central area, a grid of small coloured squares introduces a visual rhythm of its own. Is this an influence from, or a reference to, the work of Piet Mondrian... or perhaps simply a window without passage?