Circulades

In the Languedoc, in the French Hérault, lie the circulades: old walled villages built in a circle around their church or castle. Henk van Dam paints them back to stone, shadow and silence.

Painting of a circulade in the Languedoc by Henk van Dam

About this work

The circulades are a recurring subject in the work of Henk van Dam. He spends a large part of the year in the Hérault, where villages like these have stood almost unchanged for centuries. What draws him is not the historical form itself, but the way light falls across the walls and the buildings can be reduced to planes, shadow and rhythm.

As in the rest of his work, the paintings are built up in layers: acrylic, chalk and charcoal are applied, removed and built up again. Traces of earlier layers remain visible in the final composition.

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Curious about available paintings of the circulades, or other work by Henk van Dam? Feel free to get in touch.

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