Compositie met huis 1995

Harrie Gerritz made this colour silkscreen titled 'Compositie met huis' – Composition with House – in 1993. Gerritz’s approach to artmaking feels like a process of playful construction. Look at the way he builds up this image, block by block, with areas of flat colour defined by decisive outlines. The texture is smooth, almost like cut paper, but the slight variations in colour density, the subtle pooling of ink, show the hand of the artist. I am drawn to the contrast between the solid blocks of colour and the way the edges softly bleed. Think about the space around the house, the grey area, it isn't a sky, it’s a zone; a place for things to be. The house itself is an almost childlike form, simple, but the outline gives it a graphic punch. This piece reminds me a bit of early Guston, but maybe a bit more optimistic, a more playful feeling. Like Guston, Gerritz embraces ambiguity, he knows that a good image doesn't need to tell you everything; it just needs to invite you in.