The Equilibrium of Forces

Albert Carel Willink was one of the Netherlands’ leading exponents of Magic Realism. Willink used a careful and realistic way of painting to transpose reality into a fantasy world. The pictorial imagery of the Magic Realists – Willink himself preferred the term ‘Fantastic Realists’ – is related to that of the Surrealists. During a visit to Italy in 1962, the…

Albert Carel Willink was one of the Netherlands’ leading exponents of Magic Realism. Willink used a careful and realistic way of painting to transpose reality into a fantasy world. The pictorial imagery of the Magic Realists – Willink himself preferred the term ‘Fantastic Realists’ – is related to that of the Surrealists. During a visit to Italy in 1962, the artist was struck by the Renaissance sculptures in the grounds of the Castello at Bomarzo, near Orvieto. They inspired him to paint five large canvases, including Equilibrium of Forces. Willink said of the painting, ‘I had to include something iron – the launch-gantry of a spaceship. There’s great strength in ironwork. It contrasts with the powerless world of sculpture – it testifies to the transience of everything around us...’.