The Romanesque church in Rolduc

About this work

The Romanesque church in Rolduc is the only Limburg church in Helmantel's oeuvre. That he painted this abbey church is not surprising. According to Henk, medieval buildings possess a special balance in their proportions: white-plastered walls and not too many windows. The light filtering through a limited number of windows creates intimacy; the light is present only locally. “In this way, an atmosphere was created that has actually never been equaled since. As a painter, I find it incredibly fascinating to respond to that, to do something with it. Actually, as a painter, I want to add very little to make it a captivating painting. I want to evoke the visual experience of that space again on the flat surface.”