Artwork Data
Artwork Location
Address
Drentheplantsoen, Den Haag
City district
Escamp
GPS data
52.045181584607, 4.2749453460327 View on map
Artwork Description
Text
There is a world of difference between Rudi Rooijackers' 'Composition', which was placed in 1966 in the public garden opposite Hertenrade, and his bronze, placed five years earlier in the leafy public garden on Loevesteinlaan opposite Kuinrestraat.
The figurative bronze sculpture 'Girl on a bench' is essentially different from the whimsical composition that the sculptor completed five years later. The abstract form on Meppelweg is reminiscent of the rugged, abstract expressionist art of a Cobra artist or another experimental sculptor. Rooijackers has allowed himself to be seduced by a robust translation of an emotional experience. Following his own intuition and expression is more obvious than executing a well thought out concept.
Although there is an affinity with the abstract expressionist art of Cobra, a restriction is in order. Rooijackers' three-dimensional composition does not seem to be based on human forms, animal figures or other recognisable elements. Clear references to concrete data are hard to find. Yet it is tempting to dissect the image and recognise growth forms, wings, stems, calyxes or leaves, while totally different associations are also possible.
The way in which the formal elements have been brought together and intertwined and fused has resulted in a multiform composition that is difficult to unravel or dissect into different parts. The recognisability of 'Girl on a Sofa' has been replaced here by an enigmatic intertwining of form elements that, when linked together, have produced a fascinating image.
Meanwhile, Rooijacker's 'Composition' has moved from the Hertenrade to the Drentheplantsoen. There it stands behind the flats in the greenery on the side of the Benteloostraat.