Kwab is the not
very attractive title of an exhibition in the Rijksmuseum that turns out to present
more than attractive ornamental art. Auricular style in English, Kwab stands for a style that flourished during the
seventeenth century, mainly in the northern Netherlands, and among goldsmiths and
woodcarvers in particular. If there is one object that exemplifies Kwab at its
most marvellous, it is a silver ewer by
Adam van Vianen. Deservedly presented as the summit of the exhibition, Van
Vianen made the lidded ewer in 1614 for the Amsterdam guild of the silversmiths,
in memory of his elder brother Paulus who passed away the year before. Eyes, a
female form, seashells and monsters seem to emerge from the beautifully
wrought, syrupy silver, only to dissappear again when the ewer is viewed from another angle.
 |
| Ewer with lid, Adam van Vianen, 1614, Rijksmuseum. Bought with the
support of the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, the Rembrandt Association
and the Stichting tot Bevordering van de Belangen van het Rijksmuseum |
If you would ask me to describe the style, right off the top
of my head, disregarding any former art historical knowledge, I would say Kwab is a supremely superior form of
doodling. What we see is an artist drawing (or working in any other medium) as
it were – horrible anachronism alert! - subconsciously, blending forms into
each other while consciously doing something else: discussing what to have for dinner with his
wife, or adding up his finances. The results are easily imaginable: they comprise beautiful human
shapes, sweeping hair, breasts, legs and buttocks blending into waves, morphing
into strange, fish-like forms, malevolent masks and monkeys. Of course, it isn’t
actually that simple, the virtuosity of the Kwab-artists
only makes it seem that way. The forethought, time and craftsmanship put to
work in Kwab in any given medium must
have been quite formidable. Nobody just casually doodles a cabinet as intricate
as the ebony one shown at the end of the
exhibition, made in Paris in the 1640's.
 |
| Design for a basin, Attributed to Adam van Vianen, c. 1610–1627. Stockholm, Nationalmuseum |
 |
| Cabinet made of a.o. ebony, Anonymous, Paris ca. 1640. Stockholm, Nationalmuseum |
Furniture and frames decorated with whimsical masks, often witty and unsettling at the same
time, gold leather covered in curling snakes, prints and silver- and goldwork with fantastic sea creatures,
- what commonly would be designated as decorative arts - make up most of the
exhibition. Although the Kwab-style is
indeed mainly ornamental, it is not to be looked down upon, with the works interesting,
intriguing and best of all: fun to look at.
 |
| Basin, Christiaen van Vianen, 1635. London. Victoria and Albert Museum |
 |
| Dutch Gilt leather wall hanging, Anonymous, ca. 1650–1660, Castle Skokloster in Sweden. |
On a marginal note though, what on earth were they aiming
for when designing the exhibition? A new bathroom for Donald Trump? Recently,
some of the temporary exhibitions in the Rijks' south wing left something to be desired on
practicalities of lighting and placement. But the expressly fake black marble
and mirrors of Kwab are not only
positively, cheaply ugly; the whole does nothing to enhance the interest and
beauty of the chosen objects. Thankfully, they can hold their own.
 |
| Exhibition Kwab. Photo Rijksmuseum |
Reacties
Een reactie posten