Der diagnostische Blick, 1992

Luc Tuyman’s paintings create an evocative, seductive surface through a strangely objective lens. The works embody interesting dichotomies. Most poignantly, the paint handling suggests a sense of immediacy in an intentional way. The brush strokes are wispy and quick, carrying traces of thick and thin paint, racing to create a certain scene or person. This urgency accurately represents his belief that one’s general mind-frame shifts daily.

The paintings’ relationship to photography, a media typically used as a form of real life documentation, might have something to do with Tuyman’s objective point of view. The subjects are mostly centered images inspired by photography, movie stills and television. The compositions are cinematic, cropping into the particular subject while implying a much larger context. From a formal perspective, it is interesting to see how the cinematic framing translates into different canvas sizes. The subjects are also rather varied, as Tuymans explores inner pathos, politics, portraiture, and other cultural issues.

I was drawn to the Der diagnostische Blick, 1992, the title meaning “The Diagnostic View”, which refers to German physicians’ guides to diseases. This body of work dehumanizes various human illnesses by cropping into the affected body parts. The images do not mimic sterile photography from a science book, as the paint application is very rich. Paint marks are thick and thin, quick and drawn out, wispy and elongated. However, despite the surface’s seduction, the paint is also matte and impenetrable.

I am particularly interested in the two portraits within the series. Although the faces occupy the entire pictorial image in a very confrontational manner, their eyes are matted and stripped of any gloss, completely obliterating any insight into their personhood and individuality. I found the tensions within those paintings to be very telling of Tuymans’ work in general.