Catalogue on the occasion of the exhibition in the Gallery of Fine Arts (Galerie vytvarného uméni) in Most (CZ), from 13 July to 30 September 2004.
Let us make no mistake: the apparent ordinariness and clear terseness of the painterly idiom in the paintings and drawings by Agnes Maes is not only an empty, thought-out style or game. Beneath the skin of this exterior simplicity, serious messages lie hidden, as well as a space for communication that requires on the part of the viewer a certain degree of preparation, knowledge, and above all concentration through inner peace. Only thus shall we penetrate the outer, formal layer of the painting and understand fully its richness and message. The journey to knowledge, the journey to beauty, to truth, and to mutual respect is not an easy one. But I believe that the power of the inner expression and the honesty of the message will address the present viewer and form a contact between himself or herself and the story being told by Agnes Maes.
Petr Svoboda
Published by Petr Svoboda.
With texts in Czech, English, French and Dutch written by K.J. Geirlandt, Bruno Fornari, Koen Van Synghel, Edith Doove, Jeroen Laureyns and Petr Svoboda.
