So today I went to the Theo van den Boogaard exhibition in the Amsterdam city Archives, which was small but brilliant. Theo van den Boogaard is one of Holland’s best cartoonists, having started his career in the sixties, working for various counterculture (so to speak) magazines creating a series of ground and taboo breaking comics. His greatest succes however was with Sjef van Oekel, an incredibly anarchic, chaotic comic strip drawn in what is perhaps the most disciplined art style possible, the Ligne Claire or clear line. Sjef van Oekel, who started out as a character in a Dutch satirical television show, is a middle aged and self absorbed, doesn’t quite think like normal people and his actions usually cause chaos and destruction all around him. What makes it work is the clear, precise ligne claire style Theo van den Boogaard draws his adventures in, set against the background of the immediately recognisable city of Amsterdam. His drawings are chock ful of detail, yet you get them immediately. His drawing style also did well on various advertising posters and artwork he did for companies like the Dutch railways and other public transport providers, as well as the city of Amsterdam.
All of which was on show in the exhibition, which put the focus on the city of Amsterdam as van den Boogaard portrays it. So you had the various adverts showcasing new railway stations and such, but also large extracts of the Sjef van Oekel strips showing how he had used Amsterdam in those. Alongside those there were also other pieces of artwork that don’t feature Amsterdam as much but provide some context for his career. It’s not just the finished artwork on display either: for some of the key drawings the working sketches and various stages and research material is shown as well. It’s great to see all this art shown actual size and up close, seeing all the details less noticable when published in a smaller format.
What struck me about it is not just the meticulous way in which van den Boogaard works, but also how he’s not afraid to warp the city when he needs to. He’s not stuck to his research or the need to keep the city real, but sticks bits and pieces together when he needs to, in the same way Hollywood sometimes uses bits of Vancouver to be New York say, but much more believable. Van den Boogaard has that ability to make you see the city through his eyes, so that when you walk out of the exhibition you see Amsterdam all clear lines and looking exactly as if van den Boogaard had drawn it.
Against this realistic background van den Boogaard puts his larger than life characters, constantly in movement, always slightly exaggerated even when standing still. This is of course a general characteristic of clear line strips, but unlike some van den Boogaard’s characters always look as if they fit the decor. His characters look as if they could walk off the page immediately and not look out of place in the real Amsterdam..
The exhibition is small and can be gotten through in an hour, but its focus on Amsterdam, on how van den Boogart shows the city and uses the city, manipulates and mutates the city for his own needs makes this exhibition work. If you are in Amsterdam sometime before the 14th August, are interested in comics and have had enough of all the highbrow musea, admission is only five euros and it’ll give you much to think about it. Be sure to also pick up the book of the exhibition.