ABOUT ILSE
Ilse Brul (Enschede, 1972)
Through impressions of natural environments such as the Wadden landscape and the Alpine mountains, my paintings and drawings often explore both the visible world and the energies and atmospheres of a parallel, ‘invisible’ world. When I attune myself to this, I experience a great deal happening within this parallel realm, giving me a sense of freedom and expansiveness in my imagination. This movement of zooming in and out between memories and sensory perceptions takes shape through an interplay of light, colour and movement.
Truly connecting with nature is a profound experience for me. It provides me with information that feels essential. It allows me to wonder and to engage with earthly matter, sounds, sensations, words, tones and movements. While painting, I recall this contact as deeply and consciously as I can, remaining open and receptive at the same time. Painting on location, for example in a mountain stream or salt marsh, brings an even greater immediacy to the experience. It is as if the energy itself enters the painting.
In fact, everything constantly mirrors everything else, on both a micro and macro level. I respond to this through observation — in my life, in my paintings, and in my research into the possibilities of working with silt, pigment, snow, mountain water and seawater, combined with classical and traditional paint-making techniques. The morphological and energetic qualities of these materials become part of my work in different forms. With each painting, it becomes apparent which story, sensation or experience wants to reveal itself.
‘The living world as perceived by Ilse returns in distinctive compositions. This may result in a recognisable landscape, an abstraction of it, or an entirely new image. Flowing lines, colour and rhythmic brushstrokes are recurring elements.’
Education
Hogeschool Interstudie Nijmegen – Teacher in Drawing, Second Degree, 1990–1994
Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Arnhem – Teacher in Drawing, First Degree, 1994–1996
Radboud University Nijmegen – Comparative Art Studies, Master of Arts, 1996–1999
Collections & Exhibitions
Paintings by Ilse are held in the collections of Museum Belvédère, Rabobank, Museum de Buitenplaats, Van der Hoeven Kliniek and the University of Groningen, as well as in numerous private collections.
Her work has been exhibited in various galleries and museums, including De Kunsthof, ALTA BOSCA, Kunstlokaal no8, Galerie Noord, Museum de Fundatie, Museum Belvédère, Museum de Buitenplaats, MOW and Museum Wierdenland.
Her work can also be found in public spaces, including Martini Hospital, the University of Groningen – Faculty of Economics and Business, and the University Medical Center Groningen.
About My Work
A selection of photographs and/or texts featuring my work has been published in:
Temporary Landscapes, SLEM – Windnomade on Terschelling & New York Island, 2009
Kijk als een kunstenaar, Monica de Ruiter, Meulenhoff Publishers, May 2021
De biotopen van Ilse Brul, Susan van de Berg, Leeuwarder Courant, Friese Galerij, July 2018
Our Work in the Picture, interview by Titia Struiving for FEBRATIONS, University of Groningen, July 2017
De Klassieke Salon – anniversary publication of the Klassieke Academie, 2016
Catalogue Improvisaties op Wind, water, wad, Museum Belvédère, Heerenveen/Oranjewoud, H. Steenbruggen and E. Bruinsma, 2015
Ilse Brul in eindronde Van Gogh-wedstrijd, AVROTROS – Dagblad van het Noorden, 2015
Kunstkalender 2014, Martini Hospital, Groningen
De Wadden & De Ploeg en hun omgeving, E. Bos, 2013
Kijkdozen, Museum de Buitenplaats, Tuin der Lusten, YouTube, film by H. Tulp, 2012
Onder duizend kleuren grijs, H. Zwier, 2011
Ilse Brul, Museumgids De Buitenplaats, Bulletin Eelder Eden, October 2011
Gesprek met Ilse Brul, Museumgids De Buitenplaats, Bulletin Bloemen, August 2010
Landscapes, SLEM – Windnomade op Terschelling & New York Island, 2009