Untitled 2006

Here, Raoul De Keyser presents us with a series of seemingly simple shapes in muted tones on canvas. The green forms invite associations with landmasses, perhaps islands adrift in a pale sea. Consider, too, the vertical blue band to the left—a river, a boundary, or perhaps a tear? These elemental shapes recall ancient cartography, where unknown lands were sketched with hesitant lines and filled with imaginative detail. But let us not forget the psychological weight of such forms. Islands, since antiquity, have been potent symbols of isolation, refuge, and self-discovery. The act of mapping, too, is laden with meaning—a desire to understand our place in the world. The shapes hover, dreamlike. De Keyser taps into our collective memory, evoking a sense of wanderlust. Observe how such simple, almost childlike forms can stir deep currents within us. This is the enduring power of symbols: to transcend time, culture, and surface, engaging us on a subconscious level. It is a reminder that art has always been a vessel for humanity to explore our relationship with the world.