Actuele tentoonstellling

Jeanette Lotz - Beyond First Impressions

When meeting a new person we all consciously or unconsciously undergo a judgment of our new acquaintance. At the same time we try to show ourselves in a way we want to be judged or seen by them.

Over the past two years Jeanette Lotz has asked people she found interesting and intriguing but did not know, if she could first photograph and then paint a portrait of them. She tried to capture the essence of their personality at that point in time. In this way two strangers were suddenly involved in a very personal - often even intimate situation. A deeper layer of personality was revealed and at the same time the first impression was still relevant – hence ‘Beyond First Impressions”.

Contrary to traditional portraiture, Lotz does not attempt to present the person in an flattering or fashionable manner. Instead she wants us to ‘meet’ these people. Some have been painted in a movement or gesturing, as their body-language seemed essential to their personality. With others we can only see their face, looking at the viewer or turned away, as being in their own private space. But all of them are inviting us to ‘see’ and ‘read’ their personal story.

Our and Lotz’s assessment will most likely differ with how the portrayed individual would perceive her- or himself. The paintings therefore include some text, which often was written by that person. This could be a sentence of a ‘life-motto’ or a flow of thoughts – something to give an ‘inside glimpse’.

As part of this project Lotz tries to depict a wider spectrum of our society – people of different age, race, social and professional backgrounds.

The exhibition will take place at ‘Project 2.0’, Noordeinde 57, The Hague from September 12 until October 11, 2009.