Although Jan Bouman (1945) paints in a precise and sharp manner, he does not strive to imitate reality. It is the colour and design of his canvases which serve as the focal point in his work, and the figures and subjects in the paintings are of subordinate interest. Nature serves as a starting point in Jan Bouman's designs, although they are not academic. The composition is a mix between his natural and artificial eye. He distorts the proportions of the figures he depicts, expanding or compressing them. These distortions represent disbalance between the artificial and the natural world. In essence, the same balancing act is achieved through his use of colour. Here the visible is also used merely as the point of departure. An autonomous use of colour serves to create the mood of the whole and the plasticity of the design, but in a smaller extent serves the expression of matter.
His figures, objects, landscapes and interiors which he shapes with the aid of detailed sketches, are in fact constructions uncovering the product of his visual memory and its challenges. The creations are fed by reality, yet totally invented.
