Juul Kraijer (1970)
'My drawings have to look like they were done superficially, almost absent-mindedly, because that suits their ethereal character. If I see afterwards that something is not anatomically correct, that doesn't matter to me; everything is secondary to the power of the image.' (1) Juul Kraijer draws with charcoal or chalk on paper, preferring to draw impassive portraits of young women that spiral into a haze of delicate details. Without background, but with small birds accentuating the fragility of a backbone, or fish swimming freely through a body. Breasts become doves; a tree buds from a sexual organ. Kraijer makes room for free association. 'Art sharply defines what cannot be captured in language or theory,' says Kraijer. (2)
Kraijer was inspired at an early age by the book 'Indian Love Paintings.' (3) She is also an admirer of artists like Max Ernst and Pierre Klossowski for their technique and their ideals. A working period in India also left its mark on her oeuvre. Until 2004, Kraijer drew mainly oriental-looking young women, but since then her portraits have become more universal. (4) She has also branched out into bronze sculptures and films. In 2009, Kraijer was awarded the Thérèse van Duyl-Schwartze portrait prize. (5)
1) M. Vermeijden, ‘Ingetogen als een Geisha, over het werk van Juul Kraijer’, 2001, www.juulkraijer.com
2) J. Kraijer, The Hydra, a text by the artist, 1998, www.juulkraijer.com
3) www.gemeentemuseum.nl, 24.11.2008
4) Vinken & Van Kampen, ‘Spotlight: Juul Kraaijer’, Tubelight # 45, 01.07.2006
5) www.cobramuseum.nl, 23.11.200
