Renée Van Halm

Disrupted modernist grids owe much to Bauhaus design aesthetics.

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Renée Van Halm’s painting career could be defined by her love of architecture and interior design, particularly that of the Bauhaus, a German school founded a century ago with an over-arching philosophy that placed form over function. 

In her show, Holding Pattern, at the Equinox Gallery in Vancouver until Feb. 22, Van Halm’s abstractions show loyalty to the grid and the Bauhaus aesthetic of simple geometric shapes like the circle and the square. 

This economy of form is counterpointed by the voluptuousness of her colours. Van Halm, a professor emerita at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, knows how to place colours for optimum effect – acid yellow next to deep red, a pale fleshy tone next to black. 

The curves that disrupt the modernist grid evolved in a curious way: Van Halm’s works on paper are inspired by collages made from the pages of interior design magazines. She is drawn to indoor spaces, but not the human figures, so they get the scissors, creating arching contours that enhance the push-and-pull effect of each composition. It feels like we are looking from one space into another, through the slats of window blinds or tied-back curtains. 

Because of the Bauhaus centenary in 2019, there’s been lots of publicity, including books and exhibitions about the women of the Bauhaus and other female designers. While this is not news to Van Halm, she includes many subtle homages to women artists and designers in her latest works. 

For instance, a small section of Loose Translation (AA-SD-STA) contains a triangular pattern similar to a Portuguese tile pattern credited to Maria Keil, who was instrumental in renovating the tiles on Lisbon’s buildings. 

There are also references to Anni Albers, Otti Berger, Varvara Stepanova, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Sonia Delaunay and others. The initials added to the titles are a record of the references within each composition. 

Crossover (AA) has a plaid-like pattern taking up a third of the composition that alludes to a wall hanging by Albers. While the pattern is delicate, it stands its ground against the bolder colours and shapes that push into its space. Ovoid forms in different scales provide a sense of perspective. This is where Van Halm’s strength comes into play – she really knows how to break the flatness of the grid with straight and curving lines to create a sense of spaciousness. 

The most influential artist for Van Halm is Bauhaus weaver Gunta Stölzl, who, like Albers, bridged the divide between art and craft. Stölzl applied learnings from colour theory and painting into her weaving, using the grid and curves, as Van Halm does. 

In Double Take (GS-LB), Van Halm cunningly incorporates Stölzl’s blanket pattern, once used on dormitory beds at the Bauhaus school in Weimar, tucking it in protectively as if she is savouring Stölzl’s legacy. 

Van Halm’s works were not created as homages, but an aspect of homage is built in, aligning with the Bauhaus philosophy of design before purpose. ■

Holding Pattern is on view at the Equinox Gallery in Vancouver from Jan. 18 to Feb. 22, 2020.

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