The Silhouettes of Memory
Born in Oldenzaal in 1952, Gerard Polhuis builds worlds that feel like fragments of a dream. His work often begins with the silhouette, a shape that anchors the viewer before the details take hold. There is a quiet, strange logic to his compositions. He draws from the delicate patterns of paper cutting, the smooth surfaces of ivory carvings, and the structured elegance of Baroque porcelain or Wedgwood ceramics. These influences, many dating back to the 19th century, merge with the more personal, unbidden images that surface from his own subconscious.
His paintings do not offer easy answers. A poppy resting atop a nail, a small urn placed on a pedestal, or an angel set against a background of flames—these are symbols that touch upon the finitude of life. He connects these disparate elements with thin, bell-like wires, linking a shadowy ruler at the top to a small, curved figure known as the 'spoon man,' an alter ego of the artist himself. The imagery is narrative, yet it remains elusive, pulling the viewer into a space where the familiar becomes something else entirely.
Technique and Form
Polhuis works with acrylic on wooden panels, a choice that lends a certain weight and stillness to his subjects. His compositions often rely on a sense of suspended animation, as if the objects have been caught in a moment of quiet transition. The way he handles color and shape suggests a careful, deliberate hand, one that respects the boundaries of the silhouette while allowing for a sense of depth and mystery.
- Sprookje I (1994)
- De burcht (2-luik) (2002)
- Dubbelster (1995)
- Caleidoscoop (1995)
Presence in Collections
The quiet strength of his imagery has found a place in permanent collections, including the Centraal Museum in Utrecht. His work exists in that space between the tangible and the imagined, where the physical properties of the paint and wood meet the intangible nature of memory. He does not demand attention through scale or noise, but through the persistent pull of his strange, beautiful arrangements.
