Jeff Cowen – Provence Works

Analog craft and experiment

In a world dominated by speed, screens, technology and production, Cowen tries to draw our attention in his work to the sublime experience of the beauty of nature. As an artist and photographer, he steers clear of the digital world and literally takes the traditional photo process into his own hands. With self-built enlargers, large analog prints on vintage photo paper and experiments with developing fluid, every print is unique.

Although his photography covers all traditional art historical genres such as still life, landscape and portrait, alchemy plays an important role during manual printing and abstraction prevails in some works.

The light of Provence

The working process and the final result of the Provence Works are also reminiscent of painting. Previously, famous painters such as Paul Cézanne and Vincent van Gogh chose the region as their subject. The aesthetic of melancholy and the connection with nature that they depicted is also palpable in Cowen's work. After years of living and working as a nomadic artist in big cities such as New York, Berlin and Paris, Cowen now prefers a more remote place. The intensity of the mountain landscape, the power of a simple artichoke, the space and the often intense blue sky offer him inspiration in the same way as was the case for Cézanne and Van Gogh. In doing so, he places himself in line with the artists who have translated their inspiration from Provence into their visual art.

Huis Marseille and Van Gogh Museum

Huis Marseille and the Van Gogh Museum are entering into a special collaboration for this exhibition. At the same time as the exhibition at Huis Marseille, the permanent collection of the Van Gogh Museum will include several works by Jeff Cowen, in addition to drawings and paintings that Van Gogh made in Provence.