Dutch artist Peter Gentenaar is an artistic and technical pioneer in the
contemporary paper art world. His career, spanning 50 years, has
involved innovations in specialized papermaking equipment, unique
methods of making extremely large sheets of paper and a dramatic
manipulation of paper pulp in which he utilizes the properties of
shrinkage to create striking sculptures.
He also was the initiator of the Holland Paper Biennial and published 7
prize winning books on paper with a group of his friends.
contemporary paper art world. His career, spanning 50 years, has
involved innovations in specialized papermaking equipment, unique
methods of making extremely large sheets of paper and a dramatic
manipulation of paper pulp in which he utilizes the properties of
shrinkage to create striking sculptures.
He also was the initiator of the Holland Paper Biennial and published 7
prize winning books on paper with a group of his friends.
All images © courtesy of Peter Gentenaar
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ITA - ENG
MAY 2024
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Can you tell us something about your beginnings?
I started out as a painter, sculpture and printmaker. In an attempt to combine these techniques I set up my first papermaking studio in the 1970’s, at a time when papermaking was not the art form that it is today
and there was no network of other artists working in handmade paper as a medium. I had been making embossed relief prints –by printing images on sheets of Plexiglas which I scratched and drilled grooves into -- but as
I tried to make deeper grooves in the material, I found that the commercial paper I was using wouldn’t fill the grooves in the surface of the Plexiglas without tearing. So I decided to look into using fresh sheets
of paper, right of the mould.
and there was no network of other artists working in handmade paper as a medium. I had been making embossed relief prints –by printing images on sheets of Plexiglas which I scratched and drilled grooves into -- but as
I tried to make deeper grooves in the material, I found that the commercial paper I was using wouldn’t fill the grooves in the surface of the Plexiglas without tearing. So I decided to look into using fresh sheets
of paper, right of the mould.
How has your technique evolved? How is your studio structured?
I began researching how to make paper and received an experimental grant from the Ministry of Culture in the Netherlands, which allowed me to work with Joop Persoon, the head of the fiber laboratory at the Royal
Dutch Paper factory in Maastricht. Persoon taught me the basics of industrial papermaking and supplied me with materials to set up my own
paper studio. Inspired by the laboratory in the factory, I did not form sheets in the traditional way, but built a sheet former – a deckle box that was an imitation of one I saw in the commercial paper laboratory -- that
used a vacuum pump to suck the water out of the wet paper pulp. Over several years, I developed a vacuum technique for my work using systems adapted from a combination of those used to extract excess
water from freshly poured concrete and water separating techniques used in cow milking machines.
Dutch Paper factory in Maastricht. Persoon taught me the basics of industrial papermaking and supplied me with materials to set up my own
paper studio. Inspired by the laboratory in the factory, I did not form sheets in the traditional way, but built a sheet former – a deckle box that was an imitation of one I saw in the commercial paper laboratory -- that
used a vacuum pump to suck the water out of the wet paper pulp. Over several years, I developed a vacuum technique for my work using systems adapted from a combination of those used to extract excess
water from freshly poured concrete and water separating techniques used in cow milking machines.
Since 1973, I have worked primarily with overbeaten bleached Belgian flax, a fiber which is normally sold to linen spinning mills. I started out using a Voight Umpherston Hollander lab beater, which I put to the test
with these long fibers. It would often clog and occasionally even caused blackouts on my entire housing block. After repairing it many times, I became familiar with the mechanics and designed my own beater, which
has the same type of roll as the Voight, but with a horizontal instead of a
vertical pulp flow, and is better suited for long fibers. I have produced over 100 of these beaters which are in studios around the world today.
with these long fibers. It would often clog and occasionally even caused blackouts on my entire housing block. After repairing it many times, I became familiar with the mechanics and designed my own beater, which
has the same type of roll as the Voight, but with a horizontal instead of a
vertical pulp flow, and is better suited for long fibers. I have produced over 100 of these beaters which are in studios around the world today.
You said that your inspiration comes from the world of nature and plants, can you tell us something about it?
I found that however detailed and fragmented my flat bamboo design is, because of the way the pulp dries, it all unites into one movement. Every aspect of the form influences the overall sculpture. Basic shapes and
forms react differently to shrinkage during the drying process: a triangle will remain rigid while a rectangle will twist itself into a butterfly. The
tension between the frame and the shrinking of the pulp into paper is caused by a 40% loss of volume when the water evaporates out of the
paper fibers and it makes the bamboo frame, which can not shrink, come under tension and look for the shortest ways.
These forces of nature set against/combined with the memory of the plant fibers which are always returning to their spiral forms, give my sculptures their rich and baroque shapes. I find great satisfaction in
having to imagine how a two-dimensional armature will look after it shrinks and dries in a three-dimensional form, accepting the surprises of nature as part of the process.
forms react differently to shrinkage during the drying process: a triangle will remain rigid while a rectangle will twist itself into a butterfly. The
tension between the frame and the shrinking of the pulp into paper is caused by a 40% loss of volume when the water evaporates out of the
paper fibers and it makes the bamboo frame, which can not shrink, come under tension and look for the shortest ways.
These forces of nature set against/combined with the memory of the plant fibers which are always returning to their spiral forms, give my sculptures their rich and baroque shapes. I find great satisfaction in
having to imagine how a two-dimensional armature will look after it shrinks and dries in a three-dimensional form, accepting the surprises of nature as part of the process.
Why Paper?
I became intrigued with shrinkage properties of paper when I accidentally dropped a match into a wet sheet of paper and saw the tension created between the match and the paper as the sheet dried. I
began making sculptures by constructing flat armatures out of bamboo strips which resemble giant spider webs, a technique I still use today. The armature is laid onto my large vacuum table and pulp is poured onto it
so that it surrounds the bamboo. 75% of the water is then sucked out by the vacuum, and the remaining 25% remains in the fiber. With the help of ropes, pipes, pulleys and clothes pins, I carefully elevate
the two-dimensional sheet from the vacuum table surface and lift and shape it into a 3 dimensional shape. I dry the sculptures as fast as possible with the aid of dehumidifiers, huge fans and heat. Fast drying
makes the pulp and bamboo twist into dramatic spiral forms.
began making sculptures by constructing flat armatures out of bamboo strips which resemble giant spider webs, a technique I still use today. The armature is laid onto my large vacuum table and pulp is poured onto it
so that it surrounds the bamboo. 75% of the water is then sucked out by the vacuum, and the remaining 25% remains in the fiber. With the help of ropes, pipes, pulleys and clothes pins, I carefully elevate
the two-dimensional sheet from the vacuum table surface and lift and shape it into a 3 dimensional shape. I dry the sculptures as fast as possible with the aid of dehumidifiers, huge fans and heat. Fast drying
makes the pulp and bamboo twist into dramatic spiral forms.
The colors of your works are wonderful, what inspires you in your choice?
Another great property of working with pulp is the use of color. Pigments
are added to the fibers during the last period of the beating in the
hollander (pulp mill). The pigments are fixed to the fiber with chemicals
which make the paper pretty water proof and prevent the colors from
bleeding. The colored fibers always keep their original color during
mixing and the new color mix is like a pointillistic painting in miniature.
This and the fact that the colors are through and through the whole
material gives an extreme liveliness to my colors.
are added to the fibers during the last period of the beating in the
hollander (pulp mill). The pigments are fixed to the fiber with chemicals
which make the paper pretty water proof and prevent the colors from
bleeding. The colored fibers always keep their original color during
mixing and the new color mix is like a pointillistic painting in miniature.
This and the fact that the colors are through and through the whole
material gives an extreme liveliness to my colors.
How does your technique work practically?
My forms come to life as they are lifted into space, twisting and writhing as the fiber bends the bamboo into its final sculptural form. The combination of the strong material and its very light weight have allowed
me to create large and dramatic sculptures from a material which we
usually encounter as soft and delicate.
me to create large and dramatic sculptures from a material which we
usually encounter as soft and delicate.
Quali sono i tuoi progetti futuri?
I have spent a lot of time with material experiments and teaching and
feel that right now I’m harvesting and can really concentrate on the
artistic visual aspects of this wonderful material.
feel that right now I’m harvesting and can really concentrate on the
artistic visual aspects of this wonderful material.
