Manu Engelen (b. 1984, Leuven) graduated in 2010 with a Master’s in Painting from the PXL-MAD School of Arts, Hasselt. In recent years, he has made abstract compositions that are based on specific objects or real physical phenomena. Foggy (2015-2018), for example, might allude to certain atmospheric effects caused by mist, such as blurred vision, softer light and diffuse colours. In terms of painting technique, Engelen achieves this result by mixing a range of materials, including charcoal and spray paint, to create a somewhat tremulous image with flowing transitions between the different shades. The artist is also interested in the different manifestations of energy. Engelen evokes this hard-to-visualise concept by deploying dynamic brushstrokes and withholding figuration. From an art historical point of view, Engelen appears to be expanding on aspects of the oeuvres of Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko and Jef Verheyen. In addition, connections can be made with the work of contemporary artists such as Sterling Ruby’s ‘spray paintings’ and Pieter Vermeersch’s dégradé paintings.
