Dan Van Severen

A square within a square: these simple words might suffice to describe *Untitled*, a painting created around 1978–79 by Dan Van Severen. Yet this economy of means and this restricted palette of shades of grey and white serve a minimalism that tends towards a spiritual purity. Within the linearity of the forms lies a purity of material and a symbolism of the motif. The light-coloured square transforms the second into four triangles, giving full significance to the drawn lines. In his art, Van Severen tirelessly repeats the same motifs (squares, diamonds, crosses) in an almost mystical quest. The artist, moreover, saw himself as a lay monk. He explains, regarding his artistic process: ‘When one draws a line, one experiences a true adventure for the duration of the act… However premeditated the action may be, one does not know what a line, a surface or a colour signifies until it is finished.’ Geometry and spirituality are thus the key themes of Dan Van Severen’s work.

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