Art Story

In Mens en cultuur (1981), Roger Raveel presents a human figure placed at the centre of a space defined by white areas and contour lines. This composition on paper, executed in acrylic, reflects the visual language that Raveel continued to refine throughout the 1980s: sharply delineated forms, sparse yet meaningful visual elements, and a compelling tension between presence and absence. The figure is not merely depicted but functions as an imagined link between inner experience and social reality - a recurring motif in Raveel's oeuvre. "Mens en cultuur" shows striking visual and thematic parallels with the colourful "Dier, mens en cultuur", also from 1981. Both works position the human figure in a stylised environment that invites reflection on identity and surroundings. It is quite plausible that "Mens en cultuur" served as a preparatory study for the later, more complex composition, in which mirror forms and animal motifs appear.