Atelier, Amsterdam   2009

Paintings of city portraits, as seen from a virtual birds-eye view. Stately portraits of towns meant to dominate the whole wall. City landscapes form a rich historical Dutch painting tradition.

Viegers is known by her 'Birdseye-views' of Cities; since 1989, Google Earth didn't exist. She was the first Dutch painter who refreshed the old genre of 'The birds-eye view'. She says about her work: "It gives you a sense of context. You are in control of the situation and the city belongs to you". Control of the situation is brought about by the ability to zoom in and out and to ascend and decent the ladder of abstraction, to assess the complete picture without losing details and to grasp the coherence of individual parts".

"... When I made 'Schiphol' I applied the undercoat using lots of turpentine. That gives a good ground. You get a shiny undercoat that has a watercolor like feel to it. Most appropriate, because it's pretty wet at Schiphol, as you see. And why does she paint aerial perspectives of cities? "They give you a sense of context. You are in control of the situation and yet weightless, floating above..." [Amsterdam Historical Museum, 1997]



And why does she paint 'drone views' of cities?
"It gives you a sence of context. You are in control of the situation and the city belongs to you."

"Control of the situation is brought about by the ability to zoom in and out.
To ascend and descend the ladder of abstraction, by the ability to assess the complete picture without losing details, and to grasp the coherence of individual parts."




THEMA:
EXTERIORS 1990-2017; Wereldsteden, 100 werken in 'Drone view', vogelvlucht perspectief. Van de intimiteit van het interieur naar exterieurs, ruimte, meer afstand, ook qua herinnering, als in het boek 'De Onzichtbare Steden' van Italo Calvino.