'Shell Can and Nautilus' by Stefaan Eyckmans

Oil on canvas, signed and dated 2010. French handmade wooden Delf frame, pale cream patina with silver leaf inset and medallions.

Unframed: H: 27.5 in W: 25.75 in

Framed: H: 35 in W: 33 in D: 1.88 in

Sold framed

Ref: SE 1031

The “Shell” brand oil tin, nautilus, and little cowrie are Stefaan’s inside jokes in this surprising composition that marries disparate subjects. The nautilus is a symbol of the Golden Ratio, first used in ancient times by the Greek mathematician Euclides, and now paramount to modern discussions of aesthetics and art. The artist never uses the Golden Ratio parameters consciously, but looking back at his finished works, one can see those dimensions quite clearly, as if he had mapped them mathematically from the start. Perhaps this is an extension of the artist’s notion of beauty as objective, rather than subjective, and his intuitive sense of composition. Note the deep contrasts in color and light, even though the overall palette is pale.

This painting is available for viewing at The Elemental Garden, the artist’s exclusive representative and gallery in the U.S.

Stefaan Eyckmans was born in Niel, Belgium, a brickyard village in the shadow of Antwerp. The son of Louis Eyckmans, a painter and commercial artist, Stefaan was introduced to the tools of drawing and painting at an early age.

During his student days, Stefaan was strongly influenced by the Flemish Primitives, the great 17th century still life painters, and the Antwerp hyperrealist movement, led by Willem Dolphyn. Later, Stefaan's work shows the impact of Henk Helmantel's impasto technique and the austere compositions of Giorgio Morandi.

After completing his education as a graphic designer and illustrator, Stefaan worked for a time in advertising, simultaneously concentrating more and more on his painting. He soon discovered that he was forever drawn to the silent world of the studio where patient observation and exacting style allowed him to slowly build his timeless compositions paintings that serve as an antidote to our stressful computer-dominated lifestyles.

After years of experimenting with numerous media and materials, Stefaan developed a tonal technique employed by the Old Masters that incorporates common everyday objects with modern materials and colors, resulting in Contemporary Realism with its roots in 17th and 18th century traditional painting.

The simple objects in Stefaan's paintings are transformed by his masterful technique to show us their unexpected beauty. Essential to this effect is the interaction of light and dark, multi-layering, and glazing. The result is a powerful and beautiful whole, strong and alive, that initially attracts the viewer from a distance through color, composition, and lighting, but which is fully revealed only upon examination of each painting's intimate details.

Stefaan has exhibited at numerous prestigious international venues and his paintings are on permanent display at galleries in the US, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Stefaan's patrons include collectors around the world, from museum CEOs to captains of industry to designers to art-lovers everywhere, each of whom finds unrivaled beauty and peace in his paintings.

More details are available upon request.