Page 123 - The 70s - ABC of the material

my imagination, which gives me an illusion of a vertically moved chalk. The starting point can be
certain drawing time.
Illusion has its own time.
In an instant I can oversee what is drawn,
however the duration of the imagination is
nevertheless indeterminable.Ria van Elk has
concretely reported her drawing time and
connected it in such a way with her drawing
units that she does not “narrate” a story with its
own imaginable time ending.
And still, the time of imagination of the spectator
nevertheless remains undefined.
In so far she has not changed the principle that
the objective present (the drawing) is transferred
to the subjective present where its quality - in
this case the drawn lapse of drawing - converts
itself in an illusion of the course of drawing.
Antje von Graevenitz, 1975
page 27
Ria van Elk at Waalkens
Ria van Elk from Amsterdam, until recently
known as a textile artist, is lately concerned
with fundamental drawing art. The hardness of
a pencil used, drawing itself, the direction of the
line and the the time drawing itself takes, are
the constants on which she varies, a clear and
concrete point of departure. You see what you
see (in most cases the technical information
is indicated) and still there is enough to look
at. This is because despite the fundamental
character a multiplicity of variations is possible.
By combining the different constants the
number of possibilities even can be increased.
In most cases Ria van Elk keeps it simple.
Many drawings on the exhibition are based on
visualising the properties of the different pencils
used. The properties are revealed by crossing
the line with white chalk. Lines drawn with a
hard pencil give off less grey than those drawn
with soft pencil. Vertical lines are covered by a
chalk moved horizontally, horizontal lines by a
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on the line itself or at the edge of the paper. Then
different “structures” appear. The function of the
chalk as only the presenter of properties of the
pencil, and also can be balanced with that. That
is for instance the case in a drawing consisting
of one vertical line. At first the line stands free on
the paper, after that the line moves over a field
of chalk and finally the line is covered entirely
with white chalk. This means that the nature of
the line changes three times. Thereby the role of
the chalk is as essential as is the line itself. This
is, within the limits Ria van Elk has imposed on
herself, the most clear and finished drawing.
Other drawings such as the visualisation of
drawing during five minutes, the scratching
away of a pencil line are less distinctly self –
contained, although the starting point comes
across clearly. It, however, makes an unfinished,
accidental impression. Why only just five
minutes? Why scrape especially that line. The
drawings themselves are less conclusive than in
the case of the line that is changed of character
three times.
Finished is however Two straight lines on canvas
of which one is always crooked. That is to say
that one line is drawn on tightly strung canvas,
the other when that canvas was laying down
loose and bobbled. Also here, in the ratio line –
background, more possibilities are unimaginable
(less essential variations are however).
The exhibition of Ria van Elk can be seen at
th
Gallery Waalkens in Finsterwolde until the 15
of October. It is one of the few possibilities in
Groningen to get acquainted with fundamental
painting and (drawing) art. Within this direction
Ria van Elk is no front runner. She is however
somebody who is in the process to put herself in.
What her position within this movement is can not
clearly be determined on the basis of the little that
is now exhibited.
Erik Beenker
Nieuwsblad van het Noorden, 1975