Kobe’s brainchildren look lyrical, generally also unforced carefree, but they are still in a tight straitjacket. They radiate a contagious, cheerful simplicity, but at the same time are extremely ingenious. They have sprung from the brain of a perfectionist and aesthete, who towards the realisation in three dimensions, implacably rejects everything that is anecdotal. They are sculptures with voluptuous, supple lines, but built around a sterile geometric carcass. They seduce by their round, feminine forms and cheerful poses, but by their superhuman perfection and mysterious calm they also shut out. Faces are closed, stripped of personal features. Thematically, the female figure and the horse dominate the oeuvre. Classic themes with a long art-historical tradition. But Kobe doesn’t just carve ‘a’ woman or ‘a’ horse, he sculpts archetypes. His women and horses contain the essence of their being in their simplicity. The simplicity that Kobe’s sculptures radiate, conceals their ingenious nature. Between idea and finished image lies a world of abstraction and reasoning. Thinking about possibilities and solving problems of form.
Master Florist
€59.90Geert Pattyn, one of the leading floral designers in Belgium, has a very natural and personal style. He has previously bundled floral creations in the bestsellers Floral Art Indoors and Twinkling Christmas. In his brand new monograph, we discover this captivating florist in his own natural environment. His home and garden are his source of inspiration, but also form the canvas for all his creations and presentations. As always: surprising, astonishing, enchanting and of the highest level, just like the photography of Bart Van Leuven. Images to dream away with.