HISTORY SHALL BE KIND TO ME
HISTORY SHALL BE KIND TO ME…
‘The greatest insult is to be ignored.’ Van de Griend realized that in Dutch art History of the Golden Age the main focus was on white people. The ‘denial’ of black people in the Dutch paintings at that time, made her aware of her own History. This became the starting point of a series portraits of African/Afro American representatives of the Hip-hop scene and African Kings and Queens. She plays with historical time-lines inspired by Dutch painters of the Golden age and invented her own and named it ‘History Shall Be Kind Me’. Inspired by a quote of Sir Winston Churchill (British politician 1874 – 1965) “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”
In the monochrome paintings of “History Shall Be Kind To Me…” Haile Selassie is wrapped in the Royal Dutch Coat with symbols of the Dutch and Egyptian lion. And Marcus Garvey, a pioneer in the struggle for civil rights for black people in the United States deserves his new title as Master MG seated on the seat of Abraham Lincoln. The works arise from removing paint, instead of applying it. She approaches the canvas as a sculpture, colour, weight gains meaning as she carefully remove the paint, a process in which the presentation layer by layer to the fabric is withdrawn. Because of the size and colour the impact of these works on a photographic view is not always obvious. The manner of presentation is essential. The paintings are not stretched, but hung like a tapestry on the wall.