Description and Manual
Jan Schoonhoven Big Squared Relief 1964 Latex paint on paper mache and chipboard 107 by 131 cm Tactile relief
Run your hands along the edges of this relief. Then feel the hundreds of small irregular squares. It is made of paper mache on chipboard, and has been painted white with latex paint. Perhaps you could imagine the relief to come alive through the play of light and shadow. The irregular handwork also contributes to the unique character of the relief.
Jan Schoonhoven, together with Ad Dekkers, Armando and Hendrikse, formed the so-called Nul group. You will also find a work by Ad Dekkers on the balcony.
The Nul group, started in the early 1960s, can be seen as a reaction to the abstract expressionism that was prevalent in the 1950s; for example, as a response to Cobra's ultra-personal painting style.
Nul – in Germany this movement was known as Zero – did not want to show a personal 'handwriting'. Nul liked rhythm, regularity and monochromy. These elements are clearly visible in Schoonhoven's work. Art as a product with neutral elements was therefore central to Nul.
Text by Fleur Brom, museum teacher at the Van Abbemuseum.