Eppe de Haan (1949) won the Van Vlissingen Art Foundation Prize in 2009. Pietrasanta, Italy played an important role in de Haan’s beginnings as an artist. Pursing courses there accorded de Haan many artistic acquaintances that helped influence his development in the artform. Pietrasanta has become a home wherein every sight and sound serves to invigorate the senses and inspire. Eppe’s method of working on simultaneous projects is a testament to the fact that he is never without ideas for the figures into which he breathes life by breaking them free of their marble blocks.
First in the Inspiration series, the book detailing de Haan’s artistic journey and process, A Dutch Sculptor in Tuscany: Eppe de Haan in Pietrasanta, was written by John Sillevis and published by Waanders.
Eppe’s exhibition was on display in June 2009 at Hotel Des Indes in The Hague. Eppe: “The 2009 exhibition, accompanied by the book publication, resulted in various small and large commissions and opened doors for art collectors.”
Eppe de Haan is a sculptor from The Hague, trained as a painter at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. In his work he seems to look for what cannot be seen. His search leads him to the three-dimensionality of sculpture. This art form offers him the opportunity to reveal hidden depths, to discover what lies beneath the broken surface, to suggest the total by means of a detail, and to juxtapose different aspects in order to reflect the complexity and mystery of his subject. There is an implicit movement in de Haan’s sculptures, a sense of past and present. The strong composition in his paintings can always be recognized in his sculpture. The beauty of marble, its inherent sensuality, and the need for discipline evoke the tension between control and freedom, themes that are central to Eppe de Haan’s sculptures.
For over 25 years Eppe has alternated his life in The Hague with a life in Pietrasanta, Tuscany. This choice was an obvious one. The Apuan Alps and Versilia region has long been considered one of the liveliest art centers in the world, home to a wealth of craft workshops, studios and galleries for artists. As a result, many artists of international renown have come to call Pietrasanta home, spending much of the year working on their own projects in close contact with local artisans.
Working in the midst of an international company of colleagues is immensely inspiring for Eppe. The proximity to the classical tradition prompted his creation of monumental sculptures. For Eppe, sculpting is the process of discovering what lies hidden beneath the surface of a block of marble. It is finding the right balance, the equilibrium between ideal beauty and reality, between strength and sensuality, between weight and weightlessness, between the masculine and feminine.
Eppe leaves his signature on each sculpture; a square cube, for example. The squares offer a structure that simultaneously seem to control and free the sensual nature of the figure. The cut out square calls back to the original block from which it was carved. It is an enigmatic element of the whole—a box full of secrets, an indication of the soul, the origin.
Eppe de Haan is a sculptor from The Hague, trained as a painter at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. In his work he seems to look for what cannot be seen. His search leads him to the three-dimensionality of sculpture. This art form offers him the opportunity to reveal hidden depths, to discover what lies beneath the broken surface, to suggest the total by means of a detail, and to juxtapose different aspects in order to reflect the complexity and mystery of his subject. There is an implicit movement in de Haan’s sculptures, a sense of past and present. The strong composition in his paintings can always be recognized in his sculpture. The beauty of marble, its inherent sensuality, and the need for discipline evoke the tension between control and freedom, themes that are central to Eppe de Haan’s sculptures.
For over 25 years Eppe has alternated his life in The Hague with a life in Pietrasanta, Tuscany. This choice was an obvious one. The Apuan Alps and Versilia region has long been considered one of the liveliest art centers in the world, home to a wealth of craft workshops, studios and galleries for artists. As a result, many artists of international renown have come to call Pietrasanta home, spending much of the year working on their own projects in close contact with local artisans.
Working in the midst of an international company of colleagues is immensely inspiring for Eppe. The proximity to the classical tradition prompted his creation of monumental sculptures. For Eppe, sculpting is the process of discovering what lies hidden beneath the surface of a block of marble. It is finding the right balance, the equilibrium between ideal beauty and reality, between strength and sensuality, between weight and weightlessness, between the masculine and feminine.
Eppe leaves his signature on each sculpture; a square cube, for example. The squares offer a structure that simultaneously seem to control and free the sensual nature of the figure. The cut out square calls back to the original block from which it was carved. It is an enigmatic element of the whole—a box full of secrets, an indication of the soul, the origin.
