The Summers of Yesterday; James Willebrant
Good art has the power to make you feel something. It can transform how you’re feeling, change your thinking, and sometimes it can even transport you to another world. Artworks by the Australian artist, James Willebrant, do just that. On even the gloomiest of days, Willebrant’s original paintings & prints can teleport you to the carefree joy of youth, summer & simpler things.
A unique blend of surrealism and pop-art melds together to create a distinctive style that so perfectly encapsulates the nostalgia of Australian summers. By “treading the fine line between romantic sentiment & ‘fine art'”, Willebrant has the ability to create paintings that radiate the warmth of a summer day that feels vaguely familiar. Part of the familiarity comes from his inclusion of the ordinary and mundane portrayed in an extraordinary way. Vivid colors and a distinctive cartoon-like style merge to create a surreal world of endless sun and surf.
He draws most of his inspiration for his pieces from “the Eastern Seaboard and it’s iconic architectural beauty”. In Willebrant’s piece For One Who Stares at Pavillions, his love of “Art Deco Bathing Pavilions, Surf Clubs & Ocean Baths” is clear. The prefect symmetry within the composition of the original acrylic painting is a common & distinctive feature of much of Willebrant’s works. So too is the clear simplicity of his surreal landscapes. Each detail, stripe and shadow is meticulously placed throughout to create a perfect iteration of the memory of summers of yesterday.
Willebrant tries to “… make something beautiful out of something ordinary” and here at KAB Gallery we believe he has succeeded. Through his unique point of view, James Willebrant translates a love of the beautiful & iconic Australian summer into pieces that forever exude a sense of happiness and joy.