rolina nell

A distinguishing feature is that both the depiction and the gesture of painting generate meaning. Rolina's increasingly headstrong game regarding space and depth, which either emphasize or indeed undermine each other, heightens the intensity of the viewing experience. The painted reality appears more penetrating than reality itself. Her use of accessories, clothing and other details follows on from an art-historical convention. In Christian iconography, for instance, the saints are identifiable by their attributes, among other things. Rolina Nell also subtly incorporates typifying accessories. As contemporary attributes, in a general sense, these reveal something about the presumed personality of the women.

Reflection on Rolina's paintings | Lida Bonnema | art historian / visual arts reviewer | 28 December 2009