Jan ten Broeke, "Biomorphic and Geomorphic Phenomena," May Artist of the Month

Gallery on Main's is delighted to once again present paintings by our good friend, visionary painter Jan ten Broeke (1930–2019), whose “brush name” was Ten, from May 1 through 31. Admission is free, and Ten’s paintings are available for purchase.

Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, May 6, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

Born in the Netherlands, Jan ten Broeke painted and studied art his entire life. His work has been exhibited in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, the British West Indies, Germany, and Canada. Aside from art and art history, Ten also gained inspiration from the origin of life, prehistory, anthropology, geology, and astrology.

Ten titled his work with his name and the date of execution, instead of traditionally titling them, because he believed traditional titles confuse one’s perception of his paintings rather than clarifying it.

His work is characterized by biomorphic shapes and evolutionary forces, combining structures with forms typically found in nature. The fluidity of the shapes as they push and pull against each other give it a lifelike appearance of organisms from a prehistoric time. The colors used also give an indication of the tension between construction and biology. The smoky, hazy darkness in conjunction with the undulating forms gives Ten’s work a sort of bleak atmosphere. Within this smoky hue there is also this natural color of blues and greens illustrating organic forces.