Jaap Hillenius, poging om dichterbij te komen

Jaap Hillenius, Trying to Get Closer is a trilogy about the life and work of the painter Jaap Hillenius (1934-1999). When he died in a tragic car accident, his ultimate painting had not yet been completed. But with the oeuvre he left behind, he acquired a unique place in contemporary painting. Jaap Hillenius followed his own path and did not allow himself to be swayed by the fashions of the time. George Seurat (1859-1891) was an example to him. In his thoughts, he allowed himself to be influenced by the writer Marcel Proust (1871-1922). His everyday life, his painting and his passion for ethnography reflected his desire to make the ultimate moment of beauty visible. The film is in turn an instrument to investigate this attempt to ‘get closer’. In a playful and penetrating game, memories from Jaap’s family and friends are linked to his drawings, etchings, watercolours and paintings. Through archive footage, Jaap himself appears a few times, surprisingly, on screen. The film is made up of three films projected at once. In the middle, Jaap’s work in chronological order; the right-hand side is about his everyday life and his feelings; the left-hand side is about his world of ideas and rationalism. As always in life, rationalism and feeling gradually become intertwined. (GT)

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