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Stylistic unity and formal simplicity are the mainstays of the oeuvre of Willy De Sauter (b. 1938, Dudzele-Brugge), which draws on a set of diverse starting points, while simultaneously displaying remarkable theoretical depth.

This is largely because the artist is mainly interested in exploring the minimal, formal aspects of an image, as part of his quest for its essence. Drawing on his training as a graphic artist (Hoger Instituut St.-Lucas, Ghent, 1956-1963) and his experience with applied graphics, Willy De Sauter branched out into drawings and paintings, which make up the bulk of his artistic output to this day. During the 1980s, the introduction of the third dimension in these flat works inspired him to produce sculptures, creations that essentially are also flat despite occupying space, as intricate shapes would cause the artist to overshoot his mark.

On the formal level, De Sauter’s art is both fundamental and minimal. Like other fundamental artists, he prioritises the essence in visual language, exploring the fundamental, i.e., basic aspects of his medium. Similar to minimalist art, his oeuvre of the years between 1971 and 1986 in particular (seemingly) refers to nothing more than the meanings contained in its own form. The serial horizontal hanging of some series is also consistent with minimalism. What distinguishes De Sauter’s work from these two art movements, however, is his emotional commitment to his work. This plays an important part in the creative process, in addition to the rational concept underpinning it. The fact that he tackles several very different aesthetic problems and categories in his works, ranging from the classical view of the artist and what he is capable of to concepts such as representation, presentation, mimesis and imitation, is equally relevant. The artist's statement that he is (and always has been) a minimalist should therefore be interpreted in light of his minimalist use of visual resources and shapes, rather than in a context of ideas or theories associated with a specific art historical movement.

Willy De Sauter’s first solo show took place in 1960. However, the artist no longer considers work from the period before 1969-70 (including landscapes, among others) important as, in a radical break, he opted for the ‘basics’ - that would go on to characterise the rest of his oeuvre - during this period. This kicked off an intense investigation into the possibilities of the line, which would last several years.

"In an effort to relativise all the isms, I unconsciously proceeded to dissect the visual and formal elements, arriving at the essence of all forms, namely the line.”

All these early works consist of a series of thin, razor-sharp and rigorously straight vertical lines, with the occasional diagonal line throwing them slightly off kilter. These are traced on a white canvas with black acrylic paint and pen. The influence of De Sauter’s training as a graphic artist is clear in the formal and technically perfect execution of these line works. Willy De Sauter attaches great importance to the qualitative material realisation of his ideas.

These works become increasingly ethereal due to his pursuit of the essence: the distance between the exclusively vertical lines and the paper sizes increase. From 1974, De Sauter limits himself to a single line, testing its expressive potential. The line becomes increasingly immaterial over time: applied using white paint only on a white medium, visible in the light that falls on a fold in the canvas or in the paper, or barely present as the separation between sheets or canvases that were pushed against each other.

In 1975-1976, his research takes the form of books of 30, 50, 100 or 150 sheets, with each series delving deeper into a particular aspect of the line. By then, De Sauter’s line is as wide as the sheet, with lined planes becoming the next phase in his creative process. At first glance, these lined planes or line drawings are very similar to a grey area. The delicate hatching is only revealed after a second, closer reading. The artist draws on his graphic practice for these line drawings, employing new materials and techniques, resulting in new visual possibilities.

De Sauter continues to work and experiment in this way for several years. In time, however, a change manifests itself, leading to a confrontation between the line and a white, grey or black painted plane. The brush strokes in the paint engage in a dialogue with the autonomous line on the unpainted section of the canvas. In the early 1980s, the result is a pervasive focus on colour, matter, and texture. After ten years of austerity and refining, after reaching his lower visual limit, the artist had no choice but to change direction to keep creating, albeit in line with his continued quest for the formal essence.

The works from this period are usually composed of (two) planes (each), with a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line serving as a boundary between the two sections. Willy De Sauter starts using gold paint, gold leaf, copper and brass, creating a dialogue between two materials (e.g., gold on one part and copper on another of the medium), between one material and a white plane (e.g., gold on one part of a sheet of paper with the other part remaining untreated) or between a polished and an unpolished or even sanded part of the same material (e.g., copper). Later, the artist divides a sheet of paper into two, colouring one side with pastel crayons. These sheets are attached to the wall at the top only, causing the underside to curl outwards and adding a third dimension to these works. De Sauter gradually takes a more spatial approach, e.g., with plaster tiles that he chamfers, colours, and positions in the space, starting from the same principles for his three-dimensional work.

From 1986, the line comes to the fore again in his oeuvre, claiming equal place alongside the plane, following the artist's growing interest in architecture. He creates a new series of works, in which he subjects several architectural elements to a thorough examination. In so doing, he bases himself on existing buildings, with or without (art) historical value, but with a modern (rectilinear, plan-based, simple and austere) design. Unsurprisingly, he prefers creations from the interwar period. Starting from his own observations or photographic reproductions, he isolates one or more elements of the building, which he recreates and transforms in his drawings, paintings, or sculptures. He creates works in which he depicts window and door openings true to size, simultaneously transforming them into blind planes (a reference to painting as a window on reality). Another recurring element is the façade layout of other works, in which he combines charcoal with graphite pencils and enamel paint (a technically very difficult material).

Most later works are characterised by an evolution towards greater abstraction on the one hand  –  with architecture still serving as a source of inspiration, albeit that his inspiration is no limited to a particular building - and, as in the first half of the 1980s, a variety of materials and mediums, on the other.

(text: Marijke Van Eeckhaut)