From: Gust Romijn explorer (ontdekkingsreiziger) 2013 by Eva van Berne
The life and work of Gust Romijn. Passion for every period

‘They said that I jumped from one subject to another. Said that you must have a “trademark “ as an artist, you had to see who the maker was. I always laughed loudly about that. They didn’t always know how to deal with me or place me, shocked at every exhibition. Each time it was a blow and that wasn’t often dealt out here. But I was never afraid. Variability is part of me. I personally think I have a very changeable nature. I’m a little bit of enormous this and enormous that, mountains and valleys. Always was. Rather difficult for your environment I think.’

Gust Romijn is an artist continuously inspired by life itself, art and his surroundings. During an active period of more than sixty years he always engrossed himself in his own way in current art trends. If he is thereby grabbed by new styles or subjects these get his full attention and the previous ones are left behind. The criticism that often befalls him regarding his sometimes erratic style development in his oeuvre doesn’t bother him. He speaks , among other things, of his lyrical, wild and thoughtful years in which time and again he internalized new forms of expression and techniques. Investigations in space and on the flat surface, sometimes figurative but mostly abstract, whereby alternating organic and taut forms predominate.

Within these extended periods he always works on what he terms ‘items’, series of drawings, graphic work, paintings or sculptures in which a specific topic is worked out. In a period ranging from a few weeks to months he is immersed in a particular stylistic or substantive theme and only stops when he has completely mastered it. After such an intensive work period he distances himself from his work and studio. However it never lasts long before he goes to work again with a new series, completely different or yet again reverting back to the preceding works.

Regardless of the view that critics of his work have, appreciation is often expressed for his diligence and decisiveness. Romijn is a getter type ‘don’t talk but do’. This applies not only for his own artwork but also for the numerous commissions he realizes, his teaching positions and his work as designer for international festivals. Romijn’s oeuvre is not only versatile but also very extensive. His work and personality color the Rotterdam art world in the years forty, fifty, sixty and seventy. Then he settles in Zeeland. His life and work show his character, his humor, his penchant for large and lots, always new forms of expression, sometimes thoughtful but often vehement. He compares his work as an artist with that of an explorer, someone who is always looking for new impressions. There are periods in which he actually travels a lot. But he also makes discoveries in his vicinity and in his extensive collection of books on art and culture.

This publication describes the personal story of an artist’s life, the various aspects of the work of Romijn and the context in which it came into being. Also the manner in which he gave form and shape in his teaching positions and activities for Poetry International and Film International Rotterdam are discussed. The biographical texts are based on the stories of Gust and the memories of Marianne Kleijwegt, with whom he lived from 1982, written in 2011. These texts are supplemented with information from his extensive archive, interviews and secondary sources. From different periods of his oeuvre works are highlighted, which provide an overview of the variety of styles and techniques Romijn applied en route in his exploration trip through art and in art.


CHRONOLOGY

1922
October 3rd born in Noordwijkerhout. Dutch father, Surinamese mother
1927
Romijn family moves to Rotterdam
1940 - 1945
first drawings and sculptures. Lives and works in Rotterdam, Antwerp and Maastricht
1949 - 1954
works in the ateliers of ’t Venster in Rotterdam . The artists who worked there were later called De Venstergroep (The Venster group)
1954
member of Liga Nieuw Beelden (League New Images), Amsterdam
1954 -1955
grant from Maison Descartes. Trip to Paris. Works in Atelier Dix-Sept with Stanley Hayter. Contact with Alechinsky en Tajiri
1955
winner of the National May 5 Graphic prize
1956 - 1957
iron and scrap sculptures, paintings with thick layers of oil paint
1957
winner of the Prix Susse Paris
1958 - 1963
contacts in Milan and Rotterdam with Piero Manzoni
1960 - 1963
black paintings and brass sculptures
1962 - 1963
lives and works in New York City
1965 - 1970
painted steel sculptures and chrome sculptures
1970 - 1974
neon sculptures and installations
1970 - 1983
teacher, later Dept. Head at the Academy for Fine Arts in Rotterdam, department spatial design and idea development and at the Vrije Academie in The Hague
1973 -1983
visiting lecturer at the University of Victoria and Emily Carr College in Vancouver, Canada
1973 - 1986
artistic designer Poetry International, Rotterdam
1977 - 1982
artistic designer Film International, Rotterdam
1983
settles in Dreischor, Zeeland
1984
prize-winner Delta Monument, Province of Zeeland
1982 - 2010
large oil and acrylic paintings, drawings, sculptures in freestone, lacquered wood and painted steel & posters and designs for Nieuwe Muziek Zeeland
1985
forms fictional Foundation Zeeland Pyramid
1990 - 2010
makes computer designs for paintings and computer prints in editions
1995
commissioned for steel and bronze sculptures ‘Mealtime’ in Amersfoort-Kattenbroek and ‘Ode to the Madder’ in Sint Annaland
2002
on his 80th birthday publication of the book Gust Romijn a spatial adventure (een ruimtelijk avontuur)
2003
commissioned for the ‘Flood Monument’ adjacent to the Flood Museum in Ouwerkerk on Schouwen-Duiveland
2005
publication of the book Gust Romijn and the desire for space (het verlangen naar de ruimte)
2010
Gust passes away on January 28th at his home in Dreischor at the age of 87
2013
publication of the book Gust Romijn explorer (ontdekkingsreiziger) and there is a retrospective exhibition at the Verbeke Foundation in Kemzeke by Antwerp

Source: Website of the Artist

Gust Romijn was one of the artists who radically broke with traditional art through abstraction and experimentation after the Second World War. He was a member of the Liga Nieuw Beelden, which emerged from the famous artist group Vrij Beelden (1947-1953), which also included the COBRA painters. His abstract expressionist works are characterized by rich colors.