The image shows a stylized portrait of a woman in a graphic, almost poster-like style.

I really liked how Victoria's portrait turned out, where she looks like she's in the style of old posters. I really liked it. I generally love minimalism.
That's why I decided to stick with this minimalism and make another similar portrait!

#artsky #ocsky #scifi #cyberpunk #neodeco #artdeco

A Culmination This oil painting ‘Neo Deco – 27-08-25’ is the result of 13 previous graphite pencil drawings of Assia Granatouroff. Finally colour has touched her sweet features. With this painting I want to offer the viewer a 5-course meal experience from the perspective of color. Just like in the last painting I forged the color scheme with uttter care and precision. Surely, I didn’t want colors flying out of control. Apparently, they often do and no exception this time. Overcoming Troubles with Colors Last Sunday I was attending to an exhibition of artwork by Floris Verster in the Lakenhal, Leiden. There I read he was praised by art critics because of his innovative flower still lifes. On the other hand he was constantly suffering a lot during the process of creating them. That’s exactly how I felt at this very moment. Unfortunately, that is what we artists have to cope with each time. However, I have gone through this before and I know I have to keep my head cool and study what went wrong. The problem lies in either the quantity of base colors or their respective quality. Johannes Itten often speaks of qualitative / quantitative contrasts. Wu Wei After careful reconsiderations I decided many colors were too strong (saturation). Next to this, I found yellow to become too dominant in the highlights. So I almost cancelled all the yellow and took care of tuning down many saturated colors. The fun part is that, as in the case in last painting, forms already were perfect. The only care was to match a suiting color scheme. When that’s accomplished all things fell into place. That was today and even to my surprize. It was only last Monday I said to one of my students I had to work on the painting for a long time. This is how it goes: Wu Wei and before you know it … Oil on portrait linen (60 x 80 x 2 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers

Neo Deco – 27-08-25

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-27-...

Oil on portrait linen (60 x 80 x 2 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#printableart #printables #art #neodeco #cubism #cubisme
#oil #painting #neodeco #artdeco #chiaroscuro #clairobscur #print #poster #chiaroscuro #paintings #deco

Sans Titre – 16-08-25

Drawing on Fabriano Ingres paper (21 x 28.2 x
0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: corneakkers.com/sans-titre-1...

#graphitedrawing #pencildrawing #cubism #neodeco #artdeco #femaleform #artprint #homedecor #marioncotillard

Neo Deco - 10-08-25

Graphite pencil (Faber Castell, Pitt Graphite Matt, 14B) drawing on Fabriano Ingres paper (21 x 28.2 x
0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-10-...

#graphitedrawing #pencildrawing #cubism #neodeco #artdeco #femaleform #artprint #homedecor

Neo Deco – 04-08-25

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-04-...

Pencil (Faber Castell, Pitt Graphite Matt, 14B) drawing on Fabriano Ingres paper (21 x 28.2 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#artprint #wallart #cubism #artdeco #graphite #pencildrawing #femaleform #neodeco #vintageart #homedecor

Color Theoretical Challenges This oil painting ‘Neo Deco – 10-07-25’ demonstrates everything I know about color theory. In fact, it’s a search to converge all 6 main colours of the color wheel into a majestic scenery. A tall order you might say and I do agree. Didn’t the great Raphael once proclaim to only use a maximum of 5 main colors at the same time? Well, to some extent I do agree. The use of too many colors can lead to screamy kitsch. Almost as if Bob Ross would have set to work his palette with all colors of the rainbow on it. Therefor, using all six of them seems like wanting to have a taste of the forbidden fruit. However, in the past I already used all 6 before such as in my oil painting ‘Nina – 12-10-23’. The reason my inner urge directed me to used them all once more I will explain below. A Big Gordian Knot It all began with my graphite pencil drawing ‘Roundism – 05-07-16’ which I sold very quickly after its completion. For years I had this on my to do list of oils yet to start. I always thought of it to be a great cubist concept. Successfully merging cubistic body parts I knew this also held the potential of a grand painting. Somehow I had this concept of matching this mergance to the use of colours as well. Almost as if one would look at a display of mother of pearl-like colors. As stated above, a tall order and a big Gordian Knot. This time not one Alexander The Great would solve by simply cutting through it. Soon I found myself in big trouble because all colours were screaming at me in full force. both in the positive and the negative space. The Solution Consequently, this time the forms, composition and proportions weren’t the problem. Those have been sorted out by the prestudy in graphite pencil. For 95% of the time I have suffered because I was constantly looking at a big candy box full of screamy colors. Even though I tuned down many of the color saturation into more subdued colours the solution arrived only today.

Neo Deco – 10-07-25

Oil on portrait linen (60 x 80 x 2 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-10-...

#printableart #printables #art #neodeco #cubism #cubisme #roundism #rondisme #oil #painting #neodeco #artdeco #artcollector #collectingart #chiaroscuro #paintings #deco

👩‍🍼 Every year, ~400k babies in Europe are born preterm and require admission to a NICU. Ecraid is proud to be part of the #NeoDeco study, which aims to determine if optimised #kangaroocare can reduce resistant bacterial colonization, severe #neonatalinfections and #sepsis in preterm infants in NICUs.

Announcing latest project in progress: The Algorithmic Dream That Dreams Itself — a DAIDA-generated, Neo-Deco hallucination where architecture forgets, reflections misfire, and the system won’t stop rendering. #glitchaesthetic #neodeco #AIcinema #dadaism #soraworkinprogress

Gjon Mili’s Inspirational Influence This oil painting ‘Neo Deco – 07-05-25’ is an elaboration of a recent graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 10-03-25’. Homage to Albanian photographer Gjon Mili. Last oil painting was from August 2024 so it was high time for a new one. In addition, I always have considered my drawings as prestudies for future oils to come. Now I come to think of it I have so many drawings that to my opinion are good enough to transfer to oil paint. If I only had enough time before time will catch up with me. Maybe I should paint more this year. Perhaps some outdoor sketching. Well, I don’t know really. The artistic wind may carry me to unknown destinations. 6 Main Colors Anyway, using your own drawing as reference is always a comforting thing. The composition is something to simply take over and then …? Sheer copying is out of the question. Therefor, the most natural inclination is to delve right into the realm of colors. There is true value added! And so I did but I have to confess something. Oh Lord, forgive me for I have sinned. Against the magic rule of max 5 colors according to Raphael’s law. In fact, I used them all (6) in this painting. Hence, it took me quite some time to complete this one. Once you set forth to use a complex color palette you know troubles are bound. Backlighted Initially I was in awe with the sheer beauty of the dress. Especially the backlight that turned the scenery into a spectacular tonal vision. For me that’s meat for the beast so I the drawing was finished quickly and with gusto. Now I come to think of it, that was the very reason I used all six main colours. That is, to depict the effect light has when it permiates through structures. You may say the colors I used have got nothing to do with reality or does it? In fact, you might be wrong. Light has the tendency to break up into the full colour spectrum of a rainbow. Furthermore, I strived for a perfect balance between cool and warm, and complementary colors.

Neo Deco – 07-05-25

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-07-...

Oil on linen (60 x 80 x 2 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#art #neodeco #cubism #cubisme #roundism #rondisme #oil #painting #neodeco #artdeco #artcollector #collectingart #chiaroscuro #clairobscur #chiaroscuro #paintings #deco

Enigmatic Star This colored pencil drawing ‘Sans Titre – 07-04-25’ depicts Swedish celebrity moviestar Greta Garbo. Enigmatic, illusive, lonesome yet strong, intriguing and even bestowed with comic talent in Ninotchka. She halted her movie carreer in 1941 only to live her life in obscurity until her death in 1990. Most fascinating! Consequently her name carries many mysteries. Then again, a great mystery why I didn’t came to draw her before. I don’t know really. Always on my bucket list for sure. Postponing yes until I came acrosss this very iconic photograph taken in the 1930s I think. That was the one I was looking for. Full of chiaroscuro and heavily art deco style driven one could say. Unfortunately these kind of photography doesn’t exist anymore today and I don’t now superstars personally. Time to dare taking on Greta’s Portrait. Color Combinations Last of Jean Muir was in yellow. This time I picked pink. You know, I had it in me to do this one in straight cubist planes right from the start. Dire green or freezing blue only would make her portrait more stern than it had to be. Pink would soothe her elegant yet strict appearance a bit. Next to this, I also knew I had to do this one in green, black and white colored pencil right away. Green would gray against the pink in a suiting manner. The idea was to search for a right combination of pink and green mostly whereas black would block them both in. Pigment Troubles As in Ms Muir’s case I didn’t want to hatch down these regions to a complete darkness. This would mean to the end of the paper. Certainly this would lead to a rather anecdotal appearance of the pink. Somehow the pink should keep on shimmering through, searching for connection to facial features. A bit of a trouble there really. Soon I found out the paper didn’t reacted to my Faber-Castell Polychromos pencil too well. The Pitt Matt graphite can be rubbed out just fine but true color pencils react differently.

Sans Titre - 07–04-25 (Greta Garbo)

Website link: corneakkers.com/sans-titre-0...

Colored pencil drawing on paper (21 x 29.7 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#cubism #neodeco #art #artcollector #artcollection #interiordesign #coloredpencil #drawing #gretagarbo #celebrity #fanart #moviestar #1930s

#NeoIPC data presented at #ESCMIDGlobal shows how drug-resistant bacteria colonise the guts of high-risk infants in #NICUs 🇨🇭🇬🇷.

Urgent need to boost #IPC to fight AMR, which is the focus of the Penta-sponsored #NeoDeco study.

View presentation slides ➡️ neoipc.org/wp-content/u...

More ➡️ neoipc.org

Monotyping-like This colored pencil drawing ‘Sans Titre – 31-03-25’ depicts American celebrity moviestar Jean Muir from the 1930s. Cubism meets art deco glory in yellow. After my latest drawing endeavours on colored Aurora paper I thought I’d try one out for my Sans Titre Series. Somewhere I had a vague idea to do a very styled monotyping-like art deco styled image. Another reason is that such coloured paper is very striking and I like what it did to Neo Deco – 24-03-25. Finding a classic deco actress wasn’t too difficult. For years Ms Muir was on my waiting list and soon I found a great picture as artistic motif. Measuring Out Finding the right proportions of the head was easy. Just about 1.3 cubes in height to box in the total face. Calculating fingers was a bit more difficult. So many forms and of course some needed styling. What I wanted was to keep forms open. The strong yellow background I found pleasantly compelling enough not to hatch things up to a total blackness. The reference picture was one where Jean came popping out of the darkness. That wasn’t my choice though. However pleasant these chiaroscuro overloaded pictures appear in my tonally trained eyes, not this time! Instead I chose to keep planes open. Therefor I drew some slanted powerlines on the sides of her head. If you look carefully I let them approach to the point of singularity to the curve of her head. Openess The result is openess structured by very dark pockets of graphite and white islands. The yellow serves as the midtone. As to the lower part of the drawing underneath her hands I kept it quite simple, not overproducing it. All in all I thought those hands didn’t need a depiction of her pulses or sleeves for that matter. The imagination of the viewer will fill in the gaps. A fun litte project to do, done under 5 hours.

Sans Titre - 31-03-25 (Jean Muir)

Website link: corneakkers.com/sans-titre-3...

Drawing on paper (21 x 29.7 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#cubism #neodeco #art #yellow #vintage #interiordesign #artprint #coloredpencil #pencil #realism #drawing #jeanmuir #celebrity #fanart #moviestar #1930s

Solarisation This graphite pencil drawing ‘Roundism – 29-03-20’ is a bit of a mix of surrealism and cubism. After all, solarization is invented by Man Ray, even though by accident allegedly. His photos normally are classified as ‘surrealism’ by art critics. These Corona times I miss my model and look forward to have her over to sit for me again. In the meantime I make do with pictures from previous sessions although live drawing sessions are the best. I decided to employ a bit of solarisation and rendered the body slightly roundistic. Perhaps you can see me in the drawing as well? Spoiler alert: somewhere in the periphery of the artwork. Body Position Of late I had it in my mind to choose a different body position. In the past I already had her pose in so many different ones. Then, all of a sudden I was intrigued by this pose that I saw on a vintage picture online. It almost looks like a pentagram. Surely, it was the perfect pose I was looking for. Since I can afford myself hiring a model on a montlhy basis I prefer to let my model taking this pose. That’s far better than using vintage photographs anymore. As to copyright they are mine and I can make adjustments. (Un)fortunately one can do everything when you have money. However, I keep on looking for vintage pictures that inspire me. A Step Further In the next one (Roundism – 31-03-20) I took it one step further with regard to abstracting it. Lucky for me I sold that one very quickly. This one still is in my portfolio. Perhaps one day you will buy it from me?

Roundism – 29-03-20

Website link: corneakkers.com/roundism-29-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-roundi...

Drawing on paper (29.7 x 21 x 0.1 cm – A4 format)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#cubism #graphite #pencil #drawing #nude #vintage #retro #artwork #solarisation #surrealism #artdeco #neodeco

Something Restless This graphite pencil drawing ‘Woman in a Red Kimono – 03-11-22’ counterparts the one I made last year cubistically. After ‘Roundism – 28-10-22’ I was out of motifs inspiring me, such as Louise Brooks. Surely I will do another portrait of her in the near future but not just yet. Something restless took hold of me. My Alma Tadema painting is progressing steadily but far from completed yet. I am not ready to start new cubist oil painting though. In fact I am struggling with the development of my art deco and roundism series. The Ingres paper comes right on time because it gives me new ways of depicting cubist forms. Recently I discovered textiles, fabrics, folds and attire again. Together with Ingres I can face another battle ahead of me with peace of mind. Last year’s session with my regular model in kimono was perfect for that quest. Stick to the Program You have to know I am always on my guard not to repeat myself. As a lawyer and management consultant I adviced clients the same. Of course it’s a rock steady principle to change today if you want to do the same tomorrow. Sadly I see so many artists stranded, chewing on the same artistic assumptions they made when they invented something original. To me, the female form always was the motivation to draw and paint. Of late I thought about picking out new motifs. Maybe increasing the narrative from a social or even a political point of view. Eventually I decided not to and stick to the motifs I like. And why not? I experimented with principles like The Implicite Order, One in Another, Variation in Repetition and Repetition in Variation and Singularity. They brought me much and I feel much more is to come. Walk Through to It This sounds a bit too fuzzy for you? Take a look at the painting at hand. I walk you straight through it. The goal was to use geometric forms only. Combined they have to trigger the recognition of something real in the spectator’s mind.

Woman in a Red Kimono – 03-11-22

Website link: corneakkers.com/woman-in-a-r...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-woman-...
Printable: corneakkers.com/product/prin...

Drawing on paper (21 x 28.2 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#artdeco #neodeco #femaleform #graphite #pencil #drawing

Cubist Approach This graphite pencil drawing ‘Meyendel - 22-03-16’ is a cubist approach to a tree typical of the place. In the south of Meyendel you can find many trees heavily affected by the Southwesterly wind. It’s the regular one hitting our dutch coast practically on a daily basis. Consequently, trees directly facing the wind grow opposite of it. To me they are very dear because they can take on many kind of baroque-like shapes. That is why I have been there quite a couple of times in the recent past. There is always something new to see because it’s a rather vast area. Also easy accessable on bike for everyone coming from The Hague. Deformed Trees Two years ago I did a couple of deformed trees but mostly in an impressionist or realist style. This time I had it in me to deploy some cubism on one of them. Also in 2014 I drew a very minimalistic female form with only short thin and thick strokes. That was my secondary aim doing this one. However, soon I found the preliminary result a bit inconsistent or incoherent. Hence, a further elaboration with some more atmospheric depth. However, the interrupted, almost whitish spaces in the joints of the tree branches bear witness of my initial attempt. In fact, I like this mix of both styles. Contrast The trees in the back I kept a bit vague. Consequently the darker main tree in the front would show enough contrast to create the necessary depth. The cracks in the bark only enforces this contrast. The final result is not quite what I had in mind but that’s the way it goes.

Meyendel - 22-03-16

Website link: corneakkers.com/meyendel-22-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-meyend...

Drawing on Canson Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#treescape #meyendel #cubism #neodeco #artdeco #trees #tree #finearts #graphite #pencil #landscape #drawing

A New Year’s Kick-off A graphite pencil drawing typical for my roundism series. I felt like throwing in a piece around midnight of New Year’s Eve. My last one was ‘The Hague Forest 28-12-15’ and all of a sudden I realized something. Lately I did only landscapes and cityscapes so it was time to return to nudes again for a change. Variation is the spice of life. What about some sensuality incorporated in this drawing for people around the world? Social Media That is why I posted the drawing a couple of minutes before midnight on social media. Luckily I was not blocked by Facebook again. Prudity seems to be back on the menu and nudity is the defenseless victim again. I comtemplate a restoration of the admiration for the human body like before World War I some day. As to this I feel there is a valuable task bestowed upon me. Great Tonal Distribution Some time ago I spotted a great reference picture online. Perhaps it came from the 1950s. I don’t know for sure but the hairdo suggests it. Anyway, the nude showed great round shapes that were of my fancy. The photo also showed a great distribution of dark tones, mid tones and high lights. For artists like me that is a lot of wonderful stuff to chew on. Consequently I felt confident to extend the body shapes into the negative space around it. The eye can get hold of the body features because of this tonal distribition anyway. A little distortion therefor does not cancel the recognition. The result is an attractive female figure with lots of dynamics and swirls, even though she lies still.

Nude - 01-01-16

Website link: corneakkers.com/nude-01-01-16/
Print: corneakkers.com/print-nude-0...
Printable: corneakkers.com/product/prin...

Drawing on paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#pastelpencil #pencil #graphitedrawing #roundism #drawing #cubism #pastell #artdeco #neodeco

4th Drawing Appreciating Fleischmann and Bauroff This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 03-02-25’ is another token of appreciation of photographer Trude Fleischmann and model Claire Bauroff. As explained in my last pastel drawing ‘Neo Deco – 25-01-25’ I saw them in Museum Arnhem. Why is it that I feel being attrackted to these artists all the time? To briefly sum it up once more: great chiaroscuro photography and composition. Claire of course is an artist and female dancer in her own right. Next to this, her slenderness is both very female and athletic. A reminder for us all, living hunderd years later, of how people can look in their natural glory. healthy and slim, not being obese. A Drawing and an Oil Painting As you true followers might know by know is that I always keep one drawing in progress at hand. Without one I simply would feel artistically forelorn. Since this artistic life is the only one I lead that means a lot. So there it is: a drawing and an oil at the same time always. With my focus on my painting ‘In Hoc Signo’ and Spring still waiting to arrive, a sort of a quicky. Well, not that exactly but I try to keep up the pace by posting an artwork a week. This makes sure I keep on thinking sphericaly like Fellini used to prescribe. If I keep up the speed the oil painting will be finished by the end of Winter. Then I can go and sketch outdoors. Artistic Accountability When you see these grand photographs of a century ago there is always a moment of doubt. First, why is it that all things nice have been done before? Secondly, what could I add to the splendour of such magnificent artistic motifs. My recepy is to simply start and measure out all proportions. There is always a slight mutation or deviation that slips into the mind. This way I came up with a series of vertical and horizontal blocks counterbalancing all things diagonal in the body. Initially I thought of executing this one in pastel.

Neo Deco – 03-02-25

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-03-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-neo-de...

Drawing on paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#pastelpencil #pencil #graphitedrawing #roundism #drawing #cubism #pastell #femaleform #artdeco #neodeco

Trude Fleischmann This pastel drawing ‘Neo Deco – 12-01-25’ pays tribute to Austrian photographer Trude Fleischmann. Last 26th December 2024 I had the pleasure to meet her in Museum Arnhem. That is, to see her photographs in an exhibition called ‘Radical – Female Artists and Modernism 1910-1950’. Simply astonishing it was: the creativity they spawned in spite of deprivation. Modern women hundred years ago were in the process of overcoming male and perhaps also female prejudices. Thanks for them because we can enjoy their heavenly gems still. Tucked away in a corner there were a couple of pictures that caught my eye instantly. Since I am in a pastel mood I was stimulated one of those pictures. See what a bit of my particular cubism can do. Tonal Training Last pastel was drawn on colored paper. This time I had it in me to use black paper. Perhaps inspired by a conversation I had with a student during art class. Yesterday I once again emphasized the importance of tonal training. Doing live model workshops I take a pleasure in supplying students with white paper and charcoal for the first sessions. However, last lession I give them black paper and white chalks only to see them fall down like toy soldiers. Even though painful for many, it forces them to think tonal values only. Many keep on drawing what’s in their minds and that’s the meaning (of a body). This is a false concept of course. The result is viewers can experience body forms but they are nothing more but the play of light and darkness. Cubist Styling The drawing itself didn’t use much nifty creative innovations from my part, only a bit of cubist styling. Somehow I didn’t want to have the cubistic planes delineate without linear structures, so I incorporated some. All in all I tried to keep the scenery maximally airy without closing contours of planes too much. Thus the elegance of a slender model and the artistic views of both photograper Trude and artist Corné are preserved.

Neo Deco – 12-01-25

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-12-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-neo-de...

Pastel on paper (21 x 29.7 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#pastel #vintage #artprint #pastelpencil #drawing #cubism #femaleform #artdeco #neodeco #cubist #retro #1920s #1930s #deco #nude #art

Fit in a Square Box This pastel drawing ‘Neo Deco – 05-01-25’ shows a female form that could perfectly fit into a square box. The pose could even be considered as risque because you look at her buttocks while she sits on her knees. However, I wanted to de-eroticize this drawing so I employed a lot of cubist and abstract styling. As much as that art viewers would only be able to get excited by sheer geometrics. If you do, that makes you a bit of an artistic pervert, wouldn’t you say? Working Quickly Last one I made got me all fired up to start this year off with another pastel. This time I used blue paper. No difference with Talens toned paper I used for Neo Deco - 08-09-24 I must say. Still no colored pastels because I like the idea working quickly. Getting a single drawing in a couple of hours. Recently I already wrote I was inspired by live model drawing sessions in the past. Next to this, I also read Vincent van Gogh liked to complete his paintings in one go too. Strange how experience how two souls can live in one body. I have my elaborate Jan van Eijck-like paintings such ‘The Restoration of Bettie page – 01-04-20’ on one side. It took me hundreds of hours to complete. On the other side I want to develop myself further and be able to create on a whim really. Mad Mad World Back to the process of de-eroticizing. Still mad on Google / Youtube I guess although I am able again to post on YT. When I look at YT movies I still get to see these adds for violent shooting games. Protesting didn’t help. Youtube thinks images of people getting shot in the head is fun and fall under their safety guidelines. In stark contrast with blocking my cubist nipples. The latter fall under prohibited sexual and pornographic activities. Then I started to block these adds manually each time I get to see them. However they still keep on coming back. They’re even the same adds from the same manufactorer.

Neo Deco – 06-01-25

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-06-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-neo-de...
Printable: corneakkers.com/product/prin...

Pastel on paper (21 x 29.7 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#pastel #vintage #artprint #pastelpencil #pencil #drawing #cubism #femaleform #artdeco #neodeco

So Many Themes, So Few to Make This graphite pencil drawing ‘Roundism – 07-08-20’ is a return to the nude theme. It was time to do another in my Roundism series after a couple of commissions such as ‘Friends- 29-07-20’. Many themes to draw but so little time to do them all. One could choose cats and dogs, people, still lifes, landscapes and what have you not. Bestowed upon me the heavy burden to do nudes and why not? Being a bachelor I have more than time to pick the nude of my fancy and draw her. Perhaps I see more nudity as a bachelor than many a married friend. A Giant Zigzag There are many positions a model can show. Then, one day I saw the reference picture for this one. Particularly the slanted position of the legs I licked very much. A great opportunity to show heavy tonal rhythmic cadences whereas the body is folded into a giant zig-zag. The body position almost looks like some kind of knitted pattern. You know these elaborate celtic knots, right? Often I try to unravel them with my eyes. Who could unfold the mysteries of a woman? Simply and Essential I kept the abstraction quite simple without any nifty deformations. In this respect I didn’t do a front-to-end fill-out of the paper. This way the heavy tonal violence could breathe a bit. Besides that, leaving blank the lower left corner and the upper right one echoes the diagonals in the body stucture. To me it is the rhythym of light and dark plains that show repetition in variation and variation in repetition. Maybe this is the main ruling principle on this planet Earth and in the Universe.

Roundism – 07-08-20

Website link: corneakkers.com/roundism-07-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-roundi...

Drawing on paper (21 x 29.7 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#graphitedrawing #artprint #artprocess #graphitepencil #graphite #roundism #drawing #cubism #geometric #femaleform #artdeco #neodeco

One More to Unlearn This pastel drawing ‘Neo Deco – 30-12-24’ is inspired by a great reference picture by Laure Albin Guillot. There is a bit of value added from my side. First, I styled it into my kind of atmospheric cubism. That is a cubist approach employed by me over 15 years now. It contains all the right proportions, lighting but styled cubistically, leaning towards art deco really. With my goals for this month achieved I was left with some spare time. What more can a true artist do than continuing sketching? I thought that last pastel rounded up this year for me, Yet, another one came up. Pencil Sharpeners Now, I have to admit I quite get the hang of doing small pastels on A4 size paper. Filling up the tooth is easy because it is executed much more quickly than using graphite pencils. During live model drawing sessions I already exclusively use pastels. Especially white and black Conté carré chalks on toned paper, enabling me to capture proportions quickly. There are reasons though why I didn’t use pastel pencils on paper. Pencil sharpeners I bought in the past didn’t allow me to sharpen pencil into a fine tip. That’s a big encumbrance because drawing fine lines on an already comparatively small surface becomes a drag. Mahle! Acceptance there until I discovered a Mahle pencil sharpener at Brugman Art. I never had much confidence in those ones, believing they would ruin my fragile pastel pencil tips easily. Never could I have been so wrong though. It turns out this kind of sharpener (with an old fashioned swing on the back) grates rather than slices. The hand held little sharpeners do the latter but become blunt very quickly. Good news for me. Now I can both draw fine lines and fill up the tooth of the paper fast. Pastel pencil black is very dark anyway which is an advantage equal to my favorite graphite pencil sort. That would be Faber-Castell Pitt Matt graphite, 14B. Both satisfy my love for hefty chiaroscuro.

Neo Deco – 30-12-24

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-30-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-neo-de...

Pastel on paper (21 x 29.7 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#pastel #artprint #artprocess #pastelpencil #pencil #graphitedrawing #drawing #cubism #pastell #femaleform #artdeco #neodeco

Return to Roundism After a bunch of landscapes and cityscapes I felt it was time to return to my roundism ladies. For me changing the theme once in a while is very useful. I forget about model sketching for a while because I was occupied sketching outdoors (see my graphite pencil drawing ‘Voorburg – 01-06-19’). Maybe it is because I would like to see what happens after some time. It may be just so sketching landscapes also will affect my nudes on paper and by this process I keep from getting stuck in a style. Inspiration Surely I was inspired by the model in the reference picture showing attractive triangles and I decided to focus on the rhythym tonal values show, contrasting abrupt contour delineations with gradual transitions. As can be noted I wanted strong repetitions of light, dark, light, dark, etc. That is the rhythym I talk about! Straight and Slanted If the spectator has a keen eye on art, he or she also can discover the balance in horizontals, verticals and diagonals. Unfortunately this is not invented by me, as I took this picture out of a magazine but my added value, next to drawing it, also is the recognition of it.

Roundism – 10-06-19

Website link: corneakkers.com/roundism-10-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-roundi...

Pitt Graphite Matt pencil (Faber-Castell) drawing on Hahnenmühle paper (24 x 31 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#cubism #drawing #femaleform #neodeco #artprint #retro #roundism #artdeco #art

On the Brink of a New Year This pastel drawing ‘Neo Deco – 28-12-24’ is a test really. At Brugman Art I found this new mix media paper made by Clairfontaine. Sturdy and nice 250g/m2 paper that comes in different colours. Lately I am having fun doing pastels again. That must be have been motivated by last month’s live model drawing sessions held in ‘De Blauwe Tram’. So there I am, on the brink of a new year. All things in due order: a brand new page I built on my website and enough artworks created in December. After a couple of months I picked up oil painting again. My project ‘In Hoc Signo’, based on a drawing under the same name, is waiting for completion. In between I had some spare time to do a little drawing. This is the result. Need for Speed Another reason for this pastel drawing was the speed I made last pastels with: within one hour. It made me realize how much fun it is to create a sort of ‘on a whim’. Basically with the same intent I made ‘Neo Deco – 04-11-24’. There is no real innovation in these, only cubist styling I applied. That’s enough for me for the moment. Normally I always striving for incorporating something new. Just like some kind of genetic mutation in each consecutive work. However, not this time. Instead, I tried to feel how this new paper would react to my chalks. Quite nicely I must say. Green Paper The paper itself has not an impressive tooth but it clings on pigment particles efficiently nonetheless. My eye felt on the green paper in the block. The result is a bit magical. The female form I forged looks like a green bronze statue. You could say this opens up a lot of new possibilities. Surely not the first time I used paper with color in it but a renewed acquaintance I quite like.

Neo Deco – 28-12-24

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-28-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-neo-de...

Pastel drawing on paper (21 x 29.7 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#pastel #artprint #artprocess #pastelpencil #pencil #graphitedrawing #roundism #drawing #cubism #femaleform #artdeco #neodeco

New Materials This Art Deco Nude as theme is not something new, the materials are. The last decade I have been using mostly Bristol paper for my graphite pencil drawings. It has a high resolution and enables me to throw in lots of details, although not always needed. My highly abstracted cubist nudes are put on it because it allows you to create soft tonal gradients. Combined with my mechanical pen this paper is the carrier of an incredible output of hundreds of drawings. Therefor does it carry the body of my Roundism inventions. Faber-Castell By sheer chance I happened to stumble upon these new graphite pencils, recently offered by Fa-ber-Castell. Pitt Graphite Matt pencils they are called and my colleague Humphrey Brugman gave me some test samples. See what I could do with them. In the beginning I thought them to be fun-ny. They act a bit sticky on Bristol paper I was used to, almost the feel of colored pencils. They didn’t offer me the scratchy feel of regular graphite leads. For some time I left them be and conti-nued to draw the old way. There is only one thing that bothered me though. Bristol and my 0.5 mm pen are a happy marriage but they act like a slow, lethargic yet loving couple. Lots of creative op-portunities but the build-up is quite a job. Not that I dislike that. I like a good-ol’ planning and don’t want to rush things. Enter Ingres Sometimes I dream of other drawings though. During life sessions I am in need of different materi-als such as charcoal or pastel (Conté or others). Fine enough but charcoal is quite stainy and pastel I already did for decades now. That is when I came across Ingres’ paper by Hahnemühle at Goed-man, The Hague. That took me back to the early 90s when I did some self portraits with it. I quite liked the grainy structure. 1 + 1 makes 2 and so I combined these Graphite Matt pencils with Ingres. They were a perfect match. Finally I could make the best out of this new product.

Art Deco - 05-08-22

Website link: corneakkers.com/art-deco-nud...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-art-de...

Pitt Graphite Matt pencil (Faber-Castell) drawing on Hahnenmühle paper (24 x 31 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#cubism #drawing #femaleform #neodeco #artprint #retro #vintage #artdeco #art

Christmas Time This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 25-12-22’ follows shortly after Roundism – 22-12-22. It’s Christmas and I have plenty of time for drawing. Even though I’m with my family there is nothing particularly interesting on the telly. I don’t like watching Love Actually for the 10th time nor do I fancy watching or listing to annual overviews. I quite like beginning and completing a drawing in one day. There is less time for artistic reconsidering by sleeping over it and redo things the next day. It’s more or less a sort of hit or miss. I think it might be a hit. I have a good feeling about this one. Art Deco-ish In my last Neo Deco drawing I stated the reasons why I started this series. Consequently I refer to that art work if you want to read more about it. I think this one is a valid contribution because the motif stands for everything nice, at least in my eyes. There is a lovely lighting from two sides, creating a dramatic effect but great midtone nonetheless. In fact, I am a bit jealous because I didn’t take the photo. It’s a picture I don’t know the origins of so I cannot give credit to the maker. However, I think it might be originating from the Art Deco era. One day I hope to have a bigger studio in which I can mimic these lighting and settings. What Style? There were no real nifty artistic improvements I craved doing this one. The motif itself was perfect enough so I only added the cubist styling. As to this I explain once more. My sort of cubism has nothing to do with traditional Picasso multi-perspectivism. What’s left is an abstraction in straight planes that causes the association with traditional cubism. Perhaps that is why I decided to call it neo deco. Tere are plenty of people who think my style is cubistic though. There are other people too who scorn me, nitpicking because of the lack of the multi-perspectivist qualities of my works. There are others coming up with suggestions for style naming.

Neo Deco – 25-12-22

Website link: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-25-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-neo-de...

Pencil drawing on paper (21 x 29.7 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

Available as original, print and printable

#cubism #femaleform #drawing #artdeco #art #neodeco
#deco #kunst #roundism

Interesting Synthesis This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 08-03-24’ is another homage to the realm of art deco. To be precise, I dedicate this one to photographer Walter Bird whose series ‘Beauty’s Daughthers’ is just breathtaking. Yet again because I already was inspired by some of his works as motifs for my drawings. In fact, last year. Thus, the Neo Deco series becomes an interesting synthesis of elements of art deco, cubism, roundism and surrealism. However, to some motifs I add more added value than others. Last one of Cleopatra came more from my mind than this one. Sometimes you’ll simply have to let it shine in its original splendor. Serving as a service-hatch from the Deco epoque to modern times, I take comfort in that. Adaptations It needed a bit of cubist styling and some abstraction. Especially in the highlights sections I skipped visible pores exposed by the oiled skin. Last but not least I deviated from the picture in the end. The head and neck looked a bit elongated compared to her chest. That could have been caused by the model leaning over towards the camera and warpness created by the camera lens. In addition, people were a shorter back in the day so the head-body ratio was a bit different. The more reason I made the head a bit smaller. The region between shoulder and jaw I also made a bit darker. Unfortunately an interesting swirl I created in the beck became an impediment. Such is life for an artist now and then. Cunning Plan As to lighting this Neo Deco variety looks a bit like ‘Cubist Study after Lauren Albin Guillot – 18-10-23’. Yet another great photographer from the same era. These chiaroscuro lightings are my favorite. They inspire me to take pictures of my models like that. There’s a cunning plan in my mind lingering about though. My secret wish is to sell a lot of prints and printables of this one and buy myself a big studio with lots of equipment. Then I can tweak lamps and light better.

Neo Deco - 08-03-24

Read more: corneakkers.com/neo-deco-08-...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-neo-de...

Graphite pencil (Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Matt pencil 14B) drawing on Talens Bristol paper (21 x 29.7 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#artdeco #cubism #neodeco #graphite #pencil #drawing

Swirly Swirls This graphite pencil drawing ‘The Nude Portal – 03-07-19’ shows my love for vortices. They show an endless sequence of swirls, each of them leading to singularity. These golden ratio curves never cease to inspire me. They did in a previous drawing ‘The Eternal Waves of Eternity – 15-06-19’. I also made landscapes visualizing this principle like in Leidschendam – 11-04-19. It is applicable with regards to all things organic: trees or women. My Artistic Search Perhaps the endless sequence of numbers of the phi number also means eternity in my artistic search. The sequence produces numbers that cannot be predicted or calculated in advance. Such will be true with regard to my artistic development. Some say the number leads the way to eternity, others consider it to be just a mathematical principle. I am fascinated by the depths and possibilities with regard to the female nude. I can look at it and each time discovering something new, a bend or an edge I did not expect. Therefor will there never be an end to my inspiration. Golden Ratio Who would have thought the human body does not just contain golden ratio curves, accidentally or hidden it may seem. No, the curves express the bodily features or better stated, are the human kind or life in general. The more I come to think of it this is true for our physical presence but also in relations. A practical example: we place furniture not in the middle of the room. Such can look very static or dead. No, a bit off-centre, certainly not all against the wall. I wonder what the full extent is of the ratio’s range. Does it fetch more or are my thoughts on the subject far-fetched?

The nude portal – 03-07-19

Website link: corneakkers.com/the-nude-por...
Print: corneakkers.com/print-the-nu...

Pencil drawing on paper (21 x 29.7 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

Available as original, print and printable

#cubism #femaleform #drawing #artdeco #art #neodeco #deco #kunst #roundism

cubist nude graphite pencil drawing

Neo Deco - 15-09-24

Available as original (if not sold), prints and printable

Read more>> corneakkers.com/neo-deco-15-...

Graphite pencil on paper (21 x 29,7cm)

Artist: Corné Akkers

#artdeco #deco #neodeco #cubism #kunst

Neo Deco - 02-09-24

Available as original (if not sold), prints and printable

Read more>> corneakkers.com/neo-deco-02-...

Graphite pencil on paper (21 x 29,7cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers

#graphite #graphitepencil #graphite #graphitedrawing #roundism #drawing #cubism #femaleform #artdeco #neodeco