By Graham McLean | Featured in the Fall 2015 Issue – Art Of The Times
Bones of winged creatures glide above a wasteland. Nearby, gaunt figures sift through ruins. These are the glimpses of our past and future within the work of Henk Pander artist.
Some are imagined, while others are terrifyingly real. Ultimately, all are memorialized as artifacts by this Dutch-born Oregon painter. Born in Holland in 1937, Henk was rigorously trained in the arts. His father, the influential artist Jaap Pander, instilled in his son the habit of sketching the natural world.
From Amsterdam to Portland
As a young artist, Henk studied the Dutch masters and German Expressionists. After honing his craft at Amsterdam’s Rijksacademie, he met a young American woman named Marcia Lynch.
Although Henk had established himself in the Netherlands—winning the Prix de Rome in 1961—he made a bold choice. He decided to marry Marcia and move to Portland. Consequently, he immigrated to the United States in 1965. This move provided him with an outsider’s perspective and critical distance from his subject matter.
Today, his work is both record and interpretation. Whether it is a direct rendition of the Galileo spacecraft or a summoned nightmare of a Nazi manhunter, Henk Pander artist covers the entirety of human experience.
An Investigative Approach
As a record-keeper, Henk’s work begins before he puts his paintbrush to canvas. Remarkably, Henk acts like an investigative reporter. He goes out into the field to sketch, take photographs, and talk to subjects.
For example, in 2008, he rode along with emergency personnel for a series of paintings. Immersing himself in the scene allows him to capture the truth of the moment. Later, he assembles this evidence to construct the massive works for which he is known.
Beyond history, his range includes portraits and theater design. Notably, his portraits of Oregon Governors hang in the capitol building in Salem.
Fantastical Still Lifes
Lately, his fantastical still life paintings have generated much interest. Using animal bones found in the wilderness, Henk repositions debris into theatric poses. The end result is often a massive oil on linen painting that dwarfs the viewer.
Currently, numerous art collections feature his work. These include the Portland Art Museum and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Caught between glimpses of the past and the future, Henk’s eye is constantly recording. He acts as a steward of history, adding his own fantastical flourishes in the process.
