THE SUBJECTS

One recurring theme in his work is his love of dance and movement. When Martien depicts a jump,
you can hear the music, you can see the run-up, and you can feel the rush of air. You almost expect
to hear a thud or the soft touch of a foot on the floor. This is silent action.

"A lot of my work is allegorical. Stories told in images, sometimes several storylines in a single work.
And they're often inspired by music and dance." Each work has several motifs.

Take, for example, the recent work 'Parade', a wall-mounted object at the Martien van Doorne cultural centre in Deurne.
Symbolic, metaphorical birch figures parade along the shimmering waters of the Peel fens.
They make music, point the way, wave banners and solicitously support each other, symbolising the passions
of Martien van Doorne: care, education and culture. Material, technique and figures all have a function in an image
that acts as a window on the Peel.

"That's the way with nearly all my work. No matter how different the form it takes and the materials I choose."

One time it will be a curl dancing in the landscape: lacquered steel plate, billowing in the wind. Another time,
a bust in ivory-coloured marble: a pianist deep in concentration. Or a portly lady, with the rhythm of a diva.
But material, size and image are always connected, forming a single whole.