Adventure & Architecture
Studio – Teaching – Engagement – Publications
_______________________________________
Imagination is more important than knowledge
(Albert Einstein)
Art connoisseurs according to Walt Disney and James Ensor
“It can be said that Hageman’s style is a search for the integration and synthesis of the ‘classical’ European tradition with ‘modern art’; to the illusion of a three-dimensional reality, captured on a flat surface in combination with the ‘own’ beauty of shapes and colors. In this work it is also visible that Hageman interweaves Asian with European elements, making his work a meeting place between East and West. His pursuit of a synthesis of classical, modern, and oriental influences results in the placement of classical values in a contemporary light.”
Doreanne Donders, historian
The European tradition focuses on the illusion of a spatial reality on a flat surface, using light-shadow (colour is subordinate to tonal values), fabric expression, anatomically correct form rendering, depth effects through forms of perspective and compositional methods such as ordinance.
Asia seeks it precisely behind visual perception in the inner visionary: the imagination of poetry or of mystical depths, the autonomous aesthetics of form and colour, the connection with calligraphy and handwriting, symbolism and sublimation.
Interesting to bring together.
_________________________________
.
_________________________________
Studio Pelsterstraat
In the early eighties there was a return to the European painterly tradition of ‘grazing light captured in oil paint’. But the idea of synthesis remains, so the question is: how do you mix the ancient with modern painting?
Erotic landscapes
The anatomy lesson -/- Erotic landscapes
The drawings of the rugged volcanic landscape of Cappadocia are elaborated in a series of ‘Erotic landscapes’ in a traditional European style (the landscape is alienating enough in itself).
Seasons of Asia
eternal love – Ganesha
And another question is: How do you connect east with west…
Tamarind – Sunset
In other words, how do you play with cultural identities,
Selfies
Self portrait as Lord Shiva -/- Self portrait as Soup Turtle
while preserving its own identity ?
Zodiac
Perhaps by delving into astrology?
In esotericism? Religions? Cultural history? Ethnology?
Rockin’ Kimono’s
‘Old’ painting is the illusion of a three-dimensional ‘reality’ on a flat surface.
‘Modern’ art is the autonomy of form and color.
In the ‘Rockin’ Kimonos’ series, the ‘classic illusion’ was connected with autonomous applications.
The two-dimensional with the three-dimensional, the figuration with the abstraction, the ornament with dynamics.
Graphics
Incorporates the drawings of Cappadocia not only into paintings, but also into etchings.
Makes a screen print for the ‘Liberation Manifestation’ Groningen: ‘Homage’ (exhibitions including the Groningen Museum and various provincial capitals), as well as a ‘New Year’s print’ (linocut) for the WWK
Comics
Armadillo
Armadillo was originally conceived as illustrated score sheets for the composer Sytze Smit, but was later converted into a graphic novel.
It is drawn in four parts: Gorgo, Harpiya, Sphinx and Sirene, each about a different relationship between man and woman, with the Epic of Gilgamesh as a narrative counterpoint and illustrated by verse.
There is a goddess in every woman
Who carries her feelings
Fertile, in heat
Part huntress, shy maiden
(Something ambiguous)…
Gaardenix
Draws the satirical comic strip “The Muse Gaardenix” for the magazine “Music & Dance” with the then Minister of Culture, Gardeniers-Berendse in the leading role.
Travels Europe, Turkey and Egypt,
But the most inspiring place was Rodellar in the Pyrenees.
Designs corporate identity and posters for the Ethnological Museum ‘Gerardus vd Leeuw’ in Groningen
Although the relationship between visual art and architecture is as old as humanity, it has been badly suppressed in the post-war years, or at least the cityscape has not become any prettier.
To explore possibilities, a complete city is being designed, built somewhere in the future on islands in the Wadden Sea:
The description of the Free State of Rottum.
___________________________________________________
Islands and construction of Rottum
Rottum was built by five different architectural schools within an industrial construction method with standardized dimensions, based on the Rotse Voet (33 1/3 cm) – which allows for both the metric and the 60-in-number system.
– The Post-Antique School is based on the equilateral triangle, hexagon and circle;
– The Hard School is based on squares and rectangles;
– The Free School focuses on parabolas, ellipses and free arcs;
– The Golden School on the Golden Ratio, on pentagons and other polygons
– Finally, Antarchis is not a school, but a society in which architects meet each other and develop all kinds of mixed forms up to and including bizarre ideas in crossovers.
The Post-Antique School: the Central Bath and the Square of the Columned Saints
A connecting story serves to make the ideas accessible.
The Hard School: the Grote Markt and the monument of the Apocalypse
In it, the Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta – after the apocalyptic ‘Great Disruption’ that virtually wiped out humanity – makes an adventurous journey to the unknown coasts of the North Sea.
The Free School: The Cathedral and the Hermeten Parc
Arriving in Rottum, he meets a failed architect, Adolf Loose, who provides sour comments to the local architecture.
The Golden School: the City Hall and its subtropical roof gardens
In the meantime, Ibn Battuta encounters nothing but difficulties in a foreign culture, where hospitality is insignificant, where everything revolves around interests and where football supporters do not shy away from violence.
Antarchis: the Assistance (emergency services) designed as a field of ruins
But thanks to his enterprising Harem and the support of a dark Islamic society – the Karakoyun – he manages to get through it.
___________________________________
.
___________________________________
.
In 1984, coordinated the opening event around the new building of the Minerva Academy in Groningen, with a large number of lectures, theater performances, symposia, exhibitions, plus a royal opening.
Organisation
Initiates intra- and extra-curricular (Post-academy) ‘Art in Commission’ courses for Academy Minerva, partly in collaboration with the Academy of Architecture.
Has been coordinator of all part-time courses since 1986.
And in the meantime he still teaches figure drawing and anatomy.
Activism
The Minerva Academy had self-management: the competent authority was the Academy Council, in which teachers, students and staff sat, the management was the executor, and it all worked fine. It even gave Minerva a unique position among art academies with a two-track policy: classically traditional alongside modern-experimental. But such a sanctuary was not allowed to last by the government.
The Frankenstein-construction
Therefore, he makes illustrations for the pamphlet ‘The Frankenstein Construction’ (author D. Kraaijpoel, publisher Minerva Academy) in the resistance against a merger of the academy with other higher vocational education institutions to form the Rijkshogeschool Groningen
_______________________________________
.
_______________________________________
From the 1980s onwards the spirit of the times hardened. So far, two social movements have more or less balanced each other: an idealistic one – driven by social compassion – that strove for peace, tolerance, social well-being, the fair sharing of money and goods, next to a materialistic one – with selfishness as a starting point – in which all social values were seen as a cost item.
The materialist movement won the battle and society resulted in an excessive but qualitatively poor consumer society, a wasteful throw-away culture and large-scale pollution of the globe, including its atmosphere.
The cultural consequences were also obvious: first symphony orchestras had to merge, then art vocational training courses. The BKR fell in 1987.
Counselor
Has been involved with the Artists Union, BBK, again since 1986 (chairman Frits Linnemann), now as an advisor and is also a member of the Fund Council of the Visual Arts, Design and Architecture Fund. Managed to save some pieces in that position, including the ‘professional allowances’ later basic stipends). And together with Frits, he manages to put together assessment committees on the basis of representativeness (including on demographic grounds). Subsidies were spread fairly reasonably across the country, until both left the Fund Council. The old co-optation system was promptly reintroduced and most of the funds flowed back to Amsterdam circles.
Is also a member of the advisory committee on art assignments at the University of Groningen, and chairman of the art committees ‘new-build Academy Minerva’ and ‘new-build Conservatory’.
Accommodations
Is a board member and since 1986 chairman (and unpaid director) of the WWK Foundation, and manages approximately 80 studios in 7 buildings. Learns a lot about construction matters and in particular about all the overdue maintenance that was once transferred by the municipality together with the buildings.
_________________________________
.
___________________________________
.
Policy notes
Wrote the memoranda “de Kunstenaar te Appelscha” (with regard to regional financial flows) and “Income position of visual artists” for the BBK (this was followed by an evaluation by the Ministry of Culture (WVC) in 1988 with regard to the financial flows of visual arts); “The quality of the policy” in response to the same WVC evaluation 1988; (published by BBK, an analysis of the effects of the WVC money flows) and the Discussion Note “Structure & adventure”, about the organization of (especially) the decentralized visual arts policy (this leads to study days in Haarlem, Deventer and Maastricht, among others).
.
.
Click here to open PDF: Prologue Rottum Book I
Click here to open PDF: Astrological Birthday calendar
Click here to open PDF: a chapter of Armadillo
.
.
Click here to open video: Cappadocia in 1980