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Biography It is unsurprising that the work of the Dutch painter Frank Dammers (Zwolle, 1951) is received with such enthusiasm in the United States. This appreciation is not only due to the painters penchant for portraying the monumental skylines of American cities, but is also bred out of a shared mentality. The artists fascination with the impressive modern architecture that is so typical of that land of innovation is a reflection of the positive energy that its cities exude. The expression Only the sky is the limit would appear to be Frank Dammers motto. In spite of the many setbacks he has had to endure during his life, he has never lost his positive attitude. His is a kindred spirit to the fighters mentality exhibited by those who experienced personal tragedy as the result of the 9/11 attacks, and yet summoned up the energy and the indomitability to carry on. To Dammers, the USA is far more than the land of unlimited possibilities. He recognizes the desire to show the world that adversity exists to be conquered, and that one can emerge from the struggle as a stronger person. The ambition to reach the highest goals, coupled with this dogged determination, appeals to him enormously. These constructive and positive elements of the American character have found a resonance in the paintings of Frank Dammers. Taking on fresh challenges. Choosing for a constructive approach, with no holds barred. Looking to harvest the maximum yield from each opportunity. Not being afraid to do things the hard way. Approaches to life are that are all characteristic of Frank Dammers. In 2004, he made acquaintance with a number of 9/11 survivors, and felt a strong sense of identification with them. At the same time, he felt a potent desire to express this feeling through his art. This gave a new impulse to his painting that did not go unnoticed in the USA. From that moment on, the interest in his work on the other side of the ocean has reached great heights, exceeding by far the attention that he has received until now in his own land. The proposition that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country is certainly applicable here. The most impressive discoveries are most often made when people dare to leave the beaten track. To date, Frank Dammers path in life has certainly not been smooth. He has been chastened by adversity, and to good effect. The story of his life could fill at least one novel; a new chapter has been added practically every day since he took his first steps in the world of depictive art. Although there is no direct thematic relationship between Dammers work and his life story, it is evident that his artistic oeuvre is directly related to his mien and character. Frank Dammers moved to The Hague soon after his birth, but his parents separated soon afterwards. His father, who had fought in the Dutch East Indies, remained in The Hague and Frank moved with his mother to the town of Zwolle where they shared a house with his uncle. This uncle had been in the resistance during World War II as a young man, and was later to work for the British Secret Service under General Bernard Montgomery. Frank traveled through Germany in 1953 with his uncle, who wanted him to view with his own eyes the scale of the destruction that the allied bombardments had caused, and to see how the reconstruction was progressing. In 1958 Frank and his mother, who by now had a good job with the National Vehicle Inspection, moved to the Dieze-Oost district. Frank attended the exclusive Parkschool as his mother wanted him to have nothing but the best. After grade school, his attention to his studies lapsed and at the age of fifteen he left school to join the Royal Marines. His mother became afflicted with a virulent form of cancer and was so ill that he felt obliged to leave the marines and return to school, in order to be closer to her. However, his mothers illness made it difficult for him to study so he went to work as a dental technician, caring for his mother until her death at fifty-one. At twenty-one, he decided to contact his father who in the meantime had remarried in Dusseldorf, to a German opera singer, and had settled once again in The Hague. There he was working as a board member in his fathers company. The first conversation was a little stiff and uncomfortable, but it seemed that the relationship had been restored until his fathers wife, a dedicated Jehovahs Witness, intervened. As a conversion was not on the cards, he was forced to sever contact with his father for the second time. After his mothers death in 1973 Frank took up the reins of his own life; he married and rapidly acquired his accounting certificates. Initially he worked for a bank and then for a well-known computer company in Rotterdam. While working for this company he followed a course in mathematical programming languages in London. Between 1975 and 1978 he set up the computerization of a large trucking company in Zwolle, as head of the computer division. Between whiles he took computer courses at IBM. In 1977, 1979 and 1981 respectively, two sons and a daughter were born. He divorced in 1983 and chose to take responsibility for his childrens upbringing, three days a week. He was appointed as the head of administration at a large foundation in Zwolle that was involved with the running of a centre for disadvantaged young people, and he met his present wife Gerda in 1987. Frank Dammers was the victim of a serious road accident close to his home in 1991. This was followed by an endless succession of operations, indirectly leading to Gerda experiencing a miscarriage. In 1993 he was again the victim of an accident, at a spot in the neighborhood of Arnhem. This time Gerda was also injured, and as she was five months pregnant, a second miscarriage seemed imminent. Thanks to the adroit intervention of a police officer this was thankfully avoided, and she gave birth to a daughter in August 1993. Both Frank and his wife were unable to continue in their professions as a result of the injuries they had sustained, as they had both been rendered severely incapacitated. The accident led to a long-drawn out series of court cases with insurance companies and injury lawyers that took many years. Thankfully, the credo Luctor et Emergo (I struggle and emerge) was to prevail. Finally, in 2003, a ruling was reached that put an end to the juridical wrangling. In between the court cases, Frank had to undergo umpteen operations. In 1999, he was confronted with his past once more when his father was admitted to a psychiatric home for the elderly. Again the contact between father and son appeared to have a chance to mend, but this time it was members of his fathers side of the family who stood in the way. Frank learned on his fathers death in 2003 that his father had amassed a sizeable fortune during his lifetime, which had by then been squandered or appropriated by the rest of the family. As a present to mark the conclusion of the injury proceedings, Frank was given a box of painters materials as a present by his wife and daughter. Heretofore, he had paid little attention to his creative talents, in spite of there being a number of artists on both sides of the family. He had to give up a sculpting course after his accidents as a result of his physical limitations. Painting proved to be more practicable, and ultimately more successful. After some initial experimentation, he arrived quite rapidly at a style that was reminiscent of Mondriaan and Paul Klee. Although it would be appropriate to classify Dammers work as geometric-abstract in nature, it should be noted that he has developed a singular approach to the genre. His compositions are developed intuitively, while at the same time making use of his mathematical knowledge and his ability to think constructively, both in the literal as in the figurative sense. Dammers shares with Mondriaan, and other artists who work in the spirit of the Bauhaus, the desire to give expression and form through his art to the ideology of a better world. His fascination for architecture is evident in the geometric and balanced nature of his composition, wherein each area of color appears to inhabit its natural place on the canvas. The intensity of his working methods attests to his predisposition towards confronting challenge and his refusal to take the easy route. He creates tableaux that are immediately recognizable, in contrast to many of his geometric-abstract colleagues. Dammers composes city silhouettes that are easily traced back to their point of inspiration. We recognize the skyline of New York and Los Angeles as readily as we identify the Art Heads captured in geometric patterns or the patchwork of colors that represents a pyramid. Dammers plays ingeniously with space and perspective, thus inviting comparison with both Escher and certain magical realists. His world is essentially too good to be true. Harmony, balance and adventure keep step with each other in paintings that are easy on the eye, and yet are equally extraordinary and often tantalizingly misleading. Dammers applies principles of order to his work, with enormous diligence and extreme patience. He organizes his areas of color to the point that they form an image that is as true to the strictures of actual perception as to the unbridled imagination of the artist and his fervor for viewing reality in a positive and constructive manner. This is in concert with the life philosophy of a man who has always been creative in his search for solutions, who has retained his belief in humankind and for whom no path is too daunting to tread. Wim van der Beek Art critic and publicist , … Read More