Hans van den Krommenacker - Acrylic paint on paper, Abstract

Hans was the second in a family of six children. “At the former Sint Petrusschool in Uden, I didn’t get the highest grades. I was more of a creative dreamer and made papier-mâché dolls in the attic. Master Clemens van Merwijk from Veghel used to give puppet shows for his students. He offered me the opportunity to improve myself in this. Because of him, I was also allowed to give performances in the classroom and for teachers. That way, I could give my creativity and emotions free rein. At home, we used to have a painting company. My father would have preferred me to work in the business, while I wanted to do something with my creativity. Eventually, he allowed me to go to art school and learned all kinds of forms of creativity there. When I finished the course, I still didn’t know what I wanted to be and how I could best express myself. I had no idea how I could best express my feelings,” says Hans. “Should I go to film school, drama school or choose another course? My father then said to me: 'Hans, nobody is waiting for a painter' and 'you're not going to hang around the house all day, you're just going to find a job and in the evening you can paint.' Eventually it was artist Hakkie van Rosmalen (1923-2001) from Den Bosch who gave me the final push. From that moment on I decided to express my feelings by painting. In addition to capturing my feelings in paintings, selling them also provided me with a penny with which I could pay for electricity. I could create my own little world with painting, that was my way of keeping myself going in the hard, angry world. In addition, I could retreat into my own studio, see it as a kind of protection for myself," says Van den Krommenacker. Ups and downs Without a preconceived plan, Hans visualizes his surroundings, whereby emotions such as love, sadness, pain, hope and despair are the most important driving forces. The style used is a typical 'Van den Krommenacker' style, a combination of abstract and expressionism. "I have experienced many ups and downs in my life. The low points were the trigger points for me, which allowed me to express my feelings and emotions on a canvas. I do not want to make a decorative picture of it, it has to hit the mark straight away." In the book published in 2003 with the title 'Als tranen zingen' (When tears sing), part of his collection is described, accompanied by beautiful photos. The author, drs. Marieke van Gemert, describes Hans as someone who has an aversion to anything that smacks of advertising. 'He keeps out of everything, far from the usual artistic expressions, far from the promoters, far from the art world'.