There may be no dearth of people who suffer from insomnia but there sure aren’t many who have actually turned this into an advantage like Olaf Van Cleef has.
Painter and jewellery advisor Olaf Van Cleef reveals his India connect and what made him turn to art
MUMBAI: There may be no dearth of people who suffer from insomnia but there sure aren’t many who have actually turned this into an advantage like Olaf Van Cleef has. Hailing from the famous Van Cleef jewellery dynasty, this 57-year-old, who plays a counsellor on high range jewellery at the house of Cartier in Paris, is also an artist by night.
“In fact, it’s my insomnia that made me turn to art,” he says, adding that when he realised that he couldn’t sleep beyond 2 am in the morning, he had to keep himself busy and that’s when he first turned to art only to pursue it seriously.
If that’s not enough, Olaf also loves all things Indian — so much so that not only are his works heavily influenced by India and Indian mythology but he also, more often than not, chooses to showcase his works in India. In fact, some of the venues for his exhibitions have been a cafeteria where one could get a meal for as little as Rs 60 and even an ashram.
“I think my love for the country runs in the family; it can be traced back to my great grandmother who came down here in the 20’s for her honeymoon and feel in love with the country’s smells and sights. With me too, it’s no different,” reminisced Olaf, who has been visiting India regularly for more than two decades now.
Where his favourite cities are concerned, Kolkata and Pondicherry may top the list but it looks like Mumbai is also catching up. “I plan to come down next year to Mumbai for a longer period; moreover, I will be having a solo exhibition presented by the Pundole gallery,” he explained.
Ask him about his USP as a painter and he admits that a lot of it can be attributed to his jeweller family background.
“My style of painting is based on abstract pointillism. The technique consists of softening the irregular dabs of bright watercolours with multiple dots in white and I also use metallic paper and Swarovski crystals,” replied Olaf, who has even published a travelogue entitled From Darjeeling to Pondicherry.
p_vidya@dnaindia.net
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}