KATALOGUS - Jef Van Diest
Janne Willems
Antwerp
About
My name is Janne Willems. With a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and a future master’s in applied visual arts, I have found my interests in research and design. What fascinates me is digging into existing information and building further upon what is already there. I am drawn to bringing new life to old, forgotten practices.
For my master’s thesis, I chose to work around my grandfather.
Jef Van Diest has been painting for more than 60 years. Hundreds of his works were stored in the attic, and for a long time we were unsure of what to do with them. With the catalogue I created, I hope to bring his work back into focus and also enable the sale of several pieces. In addition, his works have now been digitally archived, allowing future generations to discover his artistic legacy.
This family project has taught me a great deal. Together with my internship at Galerie Sofie Van de Velde, it became a very unique and enriching year. I had the opportunity to experience life inside a gallery while also developing my own independent project.
Project
I have always known my grandfather as a painter. He has several passions: he plays the saxophone in an orchestra, he is an amateur photographer, but painting has always taken the lead. When I walk through my grandfather’s studio, I feel as if I am stepping into an artistic time machine. Drawers filled with photographs, drawings, and memories. In his studio, you can feel his authenticity. His many brushes, pencils, jars filled with pigments, paints, panels, paper, and everything a painter could ever need. You can see it in his hands, in his bright blue eyes. A gaze of admiration, relief, and melancholy. He sees beauty. And he translates that beauty onto canvas, panel, and paper.
Throughout his many years of painting, one constant remains undeniable: his deep admiration for nature. He looks at the lines of a shell, the texture of a stone, the anatomy of humans, octopuses, or insects. Fascinated by the miniature world, all the way to the hidden realms revealed under a microscope. His works make you aware of the beauty that surrounds us. His rhythmic compositions, characteristic of the musician in him, reflect the dancing forms and structures he derives from nature.
In the attic, there are an enormous number of works. My grandmother’s wish to downsize clashes with Jef’s unwavering love for his studio. Where she sees the complications of aging in every step of the stairs, he sees in those same steps the path to his creativity. Letting go is not yet possible. A stair lift is installed. But the problem does not disappear. What will happen to all these works? That question became the starting point of my master’s thesis.
This year, I spent a lot of time in his studio. We worked together. I would bring the paintings down from the attic, carefully unwrap them, photograph and document them. Afterwards, he would pack them back with care, so they could safely return to their place in the attic. While Radio 1 played softly in the background, we immersed ourselves in the stories behind his techniques. Forgotten works were rediscovered and appreciated again.
The final result is this catalogue; the works have been immortalised, both digitally and in print.
