Ramon Otting

OIL & SOIL

To dutch painter Ramon Otting (1969), the landscape is a huge source of inspiration. 

The landscape reflects our moods, is enjoyable, can heal, or gives cause for contemplation. Otting’s work is all about nature and what it does to us human beings. This interaction is essential. An almost physical ominous threat is present in many of his landscapes. Sometimes in dark and stormy skies, sometimes in overwhelming lightness. The superior power of nature compared to man, who will always lose, is palpable.

“I’d love to literally transfer nature’s behavior onto canvas. To paint like that is like almost merging with nature, even though there’s always some sense of shaping the image. But of course this is never attainable, this can only happen in nature. Sometimes you can also go too far, so you fall over, but that’s good too. In the end it’s all about the endeavour, because we can never really attain nature’s perfection. We’ll always be confronted with our shortcomings and insignificance. But it’s a requisite for us humans to persevere, on the road to the goal.”

More and more, Otting’s work concentrates on building the wholeness to be found in nature. From low viewpoints and using terroir and soil from the spot where he finds the inspiration, Otting shows us the beauty and wealth of form and colour in nature. The looseness of his painting in combination with his sculptures opens up his work even more, and strengthens the power in the details.

H.K.U., Academy of fine arts, Utrecht (1995)