In this series, we interview alumni who graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy in 1991. How are they doing now? How did they experience their time at the academy? How do they look back on it now, more than thirty years later? And what can current students learn from them? You will read about it in this 10-part series.
This series is an idea by Guus Vreeburg, who retired in 2019 after a long career as a lecturer at WdKA. Interview and text by Julia de Roo, WdKA's in-house journalist.
In this article, you will read an interview with Jeanne Rombouts. Jeanne is an autonomous artist and makes drawings with charcoal and chalk. She grew up in the vastness of Eastern Flevoland, where her father was one of the first farmers to settle there. You can see from Rombouts' drawings, that it is this land that drew her and which she now draws in turn. Jeanne always drew, but began her career as a chemistry and biology teacher. In 1991, she completed her studies at Willem De Kooning Academy. More than 30 years later, she revisits the academy, where we speak to her about her authentic handwriting as a maker, the earth as inspiration and wise lessons from teachers.
"If you know what drives you and who you are as an artist, you can always fall back on that. Even if you don't sell anything and don't exhibit." How did you experience your study time at WdKA?
"Very well. I was able to develop tremendously here and grabbed all opportunities with both hands. I learnt a lot from teachers like Kees Spermon, Joop van Meel and Arie van Geest. I started my time at the academy by painting, but this eventually turned out not to be my ideal medium. It wasn't until the third year of the academy that I switched. I was then taught by Joop van Meel; he really taught me how to draw. His advice was: don't think, but draw. That took me far. I can express myself much more refined with chalk. With painting, there is a certain distance between canvas or paper and paint, because of the brush. With chalk, you have direct contact with the paper. I find that much nicer to work with. That way I can get my thoughts and concepts directly onto paper via a muscle movement of my arm. This motoric and agile aspect is important in my work. I really developed this own 'handwriting' during my studies."
What did you start doing after the academy?
"After the academy, I was advised not to exhibit in the first two years but to take my time instead. It is such a switch from being a student to an autonomous artist. I followed this advice and first just started making and finding my niche in the studio on Pootstraat. Some time later I was able to move to a studio in the Drievriendenstraat, where I am still now.
Through contacts I kept from the academy, I was able to exhibit work at Pictura and Kasteel van Rhoon. That has meant a lot to me. Still, exhibiting and selling my art has always been difficult. My work was different and just didn't fit within galleries; no one was interested in selling it. Drawing is a bit of an underdog in the art world anyway. Galleries think commercially and black-and-white drawings sell hard. Yet I never gave up and worked very hard; networking, applying for grants, submitting work. In the end, it paid off and I got to exhibit my work at some very nice places including Kunsthal Boschveld and the Kruithuis in Den Bosch, the Kunstmuseum in den Haag, the Bijbelsmuseum in Amsterdam, WTC in Rotterdam and Pictura in Dordrecht."
What kind of artist are you? What defines you?
"I still draw with charcoal, chalk and pencil. I have always done that. I don't use colour. Kees Spermon, graphics teacher, recommended this to me as a student: "You don't need colour, you always say everything already using grey tones". Those words have always stuck with me.
I grew up in eastern Flevoland, which has had a lot of impact on my work as an artist. The organic nature of the land and all the contrasts found in it can be seen in my drawings: light and dark, hard and soft, movement and stillness, open and closed. The earth is my source of inspiration.
I prefer to work large, so that I can be completely absorbed in my movements. This makes you feel as if the space is endless, as if the work goes beyond the paper. Yet for me, it is mainly about the feeling the work conveys. I can also express my style within the framework of an A4. My signature is mainly in the motor skills. Conceptually, I am free."
What of what you learned then is still relevant to your current activities today?
"At the academy, I learned to find something that suits you: your own subject matter, your authenticity as a creator. From there you can expand your field of vision and deepen. If you know what drives you and who you are as a maker, you can always fall back on that. Even if you don't sell anything and don't exhibit. That recognisability is important for an artist. In that, you can distinguish yourself from others and find a connection between the concept and the material."
What advice would you give to students now?
"Believe in your own passion and subject matter. To use another great quote from Joop van Meel: "The subject you are passionate about as a 20-year-old is indicative of now. You take that with you." And it's true, he was right. Hold on to your subject and develop it. Don't give up! And be patient, very patient."
