Krijtlijnen HV 1977

Raoul De Keyser made “Krijtlijnen HV”, or “Chalk Lines HV,” using paint on canvas. De Keyser, who lived through the Nazi occupation of Belgium, grew to be part of a generation of artists influenced by the trauma of war and occupation. Minimalist art often gets interpreted as apolitical, yet it emerged from the turmoil of the mid-20th century. We might interpret the artist's reduction of form as a commentary on the breakdown of traditional structures and values in a world grappling with the aftermath of conflict. De Keyser’s painting invites a consideration of absence and presence. What does it mean to represent something by what is not there, and what does it mean to be “occupied” by the unspoken? In this sense, this deceptively simple painting becomes a potent metaphor for the many ways history leaves its mark on our consciousness.