Only mythical stories fascinate at art gallery KAdE

Why did I find the mythical stories about being an artist more interesting than the artworks I saw? That is what I wondered after visiting the exhibition GOED GEMAAKT (ode to the making process) at the Amersfoort art gallery KAdE.

Only a single work of art touched me, while the stories about Daedelus, Pygmalion and the daughter of Butades fascinated me immensely.

Flies

Daedelus was a famous architect and inventor who, together with his son Icarus, was commissioned by the Cretan king Minos to build a labyrinth on Crete. Unfortunately, relations became strained and the two got stuck on the island. But not to worry: father and son built two huge wings from a wooden palisade to escape. They used wax to cover the wings with feathers.

The sequel will be familiar to you. Captivated by enthusiasm, Icarus flies towards the sun, causing the wax to melt and he falls to pieces. Those who grab too high can take a big hit

The exhibition links to Dutch artist Joost Conijn (Netherlands, 1971). He builds a plane and drives to the Moroccan desert, because there is still enough space there for a plane ride. Unfortunately, things go wrong on the way and in the desert. But to reassure you: things do not end the same way with Conijn as they did with Icarus.

Light and shadow

The exhibition also pays attention to Kora, the daughter of the Corinthian potter Butades. When her lover travels, Kora 'draws' the outline of his face on the wall with the shadow of candles. Her father fills the outline with clay. From shadow, relief is born.

Light and shadow: unmissable in art. From the decorations on Greek vases to Peter Pan's lost shadow. Remember it? Peter's shadow is stitched to his foot so he cannot lose it again.

The story of Butades' daughter becomes a favourite subject for artists. The play with light and shadow to mimic reality is later the basis of the camera obscura, magic lantern, photography and eventually even (silent) film.

Personally, I find the original theme much more interesting. Art as an attempt to immortalise the ephemeral. Saving the most beautiful and precious (the face of Kora's lover) from the fleetingness of time (the shadow on the wall).

Bringing to life

And then there is the Greek sculptor Pygmalion. He was so disappointed in the women he knew that he carved his ideal woman out of ivory. Naturally, he falls in love with her up to his ears. Venus - the goddess of love - puts him out of his misery and revives the statue. The cool ivory suddenly feels warm and soft, the statue transforms into a woman of fear and blood. Galanthea opens her eyes, blushes (later a common theme in art history) and answers her maker's kiss.

The myth of Pygmalion illustrates the craftsmanship of artists to manipulate and change their material. Unfortunately, not always with the intended result, as Zohar Gotesman's beautiful photograph shows. Lying down, he embraces a cold white sculpture, hoping it will come to life. His attempts are in vain, as can be seen even in the photograph. The statue wants nothing from him. It does not close the gap between life and death.

At work

As far as I was concerned, the exhibition could have ended after that. Without much interest, I trudged through the following rooms. Themes such as "is copying art also art?" and "when is a work of art actually finished?" could apparently only interest me moderately.

The same applied to the downstairs area of the exhibition, where the focus is on the artist at work. Nine contemporary Dutch artists show their work and talk about the working process. And an installation by Patty Struik (Netherlands, 1962) depicts the inspiration phase: thinking in images, freely associating, dreaming and connecting. Images that succeed each other at lightning speed and are all related to each other in one way or another.

Imagination

After which, at the exit, I asked myself the question I started this article with. Why did these mythical stories fascinate me so much. The answer: they inspired and set my imagination to work. Which the art in the exhibition did not do, except for Zohar Gotesman's photograph.

While in turn, the artists were inspired by the same mythical stories.

This touches on the question of why art 'grabs' someone. Why one painting or sculpture moves you, while another leaves you cold.

In the absence of an answer to this, let me call this the riddle of art for now.