MUSEUM TO SCALE 1/7

During his studies at Sint-Lucas in Ghent, Etienne Van Doorslaer made friends with Dan Van Severen, a relationsip that intensified when they became almost-neighbours in the mid-1960s. At that time, Van Doorslaer had been living for several years as Father Maur in the Benedictine abbey of Zevenkerken (SintAndries, Bruges) where he immersed himself in philosophy, theology and painting. Vital for his artistic education was a stay in Paris shortly after his ordination as a priest. In the French capital, Van Doorslaer became acquainted with post-war abstract art, in particular with Alberto Magnelli, whose meticulous division of the painting surface and cautious colour nuances strongly appealed to him. Initially, coloured dots provided some depth in otherwise monochrome paintings, but from 1966 Van Doorslaer’s work took on its definitive form. Repetition and symmetry define pareddown compositions in – ultimately – monochrome white paintings with soft undertones subconsciously reflecting a contemplative search for austerity, simplicity and light.