Sculptor Jan de Graaf (1948) provides his tight, bronze creations of an intriguing cocktail: humorous details, lined with a touch of indignation. A favorite subject is the somewhat lascivious ladies who present themselves to the viewer in a variety of ways, but horses are the protagonists in many views of this extraordinarily original bronze cast master.
 
The sculptures are clearly recognizable as they are but also have a stylized, almost abstract design. They do not so much stand out by the detail, but gain a sense of expression by omitting all bronze 'fringes', which would only detract from the story that the sculpture tells. Each element therefore comes to its fullest extent, such as the red bra of Anna, the Ukelele played by the Sirene, or the fragile bird that balances in Free as a bird at the knee of his human opponent.

 
Inspiration close to home
 
Jan de Graaf graduated from the art academy in Rotterdam in 1976. He soon developed into an artist with a highly recognizable signature. His inspiration Jan de Graaf mainly finds in his immediate area: people who are in conversation with each other, a group of children playing on the street, or a man who walkes his quadruped. The figures are often structured and styled, making it clear to the viewer what it is about. Words that appear when looking at a sculpture of Jan de Graaf are: styled, simple, understated, frozen in time. The faces are also minimally shaped, which makes the sculptures an expression of a sense, a moment in time.

Despite the apparent simplicity of the design, there is a lot of craftsmanship behind the way in which every sculptures is built. Classic, bright lines combined with a perfect finish are typical for the sculptures of Jan de Graaf. By combining a simple, tight style with distinctly humorous elements, his sculptures are also somewhat familiar, recognizable. This distinguishes Jan de Graaf from other classical sculptors. His sculptures may have a particularly funny impression, but Jan de Graaf is evident by his sense of form and workmanship, time after time as an extremely serious sculptor.


Painting on bronze
Another striking element of Jan de Graaf's sculptures is that he sometimes paints the smooth bronze surfaces. The painting usually puts out a piece of clothing that is tight around the body: the dress or the bikini top of a woman, or a child's shirt. The manner in which the sculptures are painted endorses the humorous aspect; A touch of color makes it all the more airy.
 
Jan de Graaf about his creations: "I do not make sculptures where you have to lay next to a book with explanations". In addition to long, "flat" female characters, who often paradise on high heels, Jan de Graaf also incorporates chubby, round shapes in his sculptures . Some of his female beauties even possess rubens-like curves. Another theme within his work as sculptor is the classic topic 'Europe and the Bull'. The bull (symbol of Zeus), which is abducting Europe on its broad back to Crete, is also made up of round shapes.

 
Gallery Wildevuur has included a wide selection of Jan de Graaf sculptures in the collection. More about the sculptures of Jan de Graaf can be found on his website.