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In this article I’d like to talk about an artist whose work I like a lot, and why I find his art so appealing. This artist is Johan Rijpma, you can find his work here. I will also show works individually as I talk about them.

First I want to talk about a work called Division.

This is probably my favorite work of his. I find watching it a mesmerizing experience, the way the tears in the paper build upon each other to create these images appeals to me greatly. I also find it very interesting how the number of tears has such a large effect on the pattern. Starting as a simple but pretty structure, then transforming into this space that, to me, feels almost claustrophobic or eldritch in nature. Yet the process of creating this beauty remains ever so simple.

Secondly, let’s discuss Refreshment.

I find this piece grips me in the same way as fractals often do. I get lost watching the water retract differently every time. The repetitive, yet ever-changing process. There’s so much beauty in a process that is ultimately created without thought. But Johan imbues it with so much artistic value by simply overserving and cultivating it through an artistic lens.

Finally, there’s Tegels (Tiles).

Stopmotion is already a very impressive artistic field to me, doing it with something you have essentially no control over is just wild. I love that when there’s a primary subject in the animation, it remains legible, but you still see all the chaos everywhere else. The way the wear and tear of the tiles affects the art, even after every tile has been selected to fit in a pattern.

With this I’d like to discuss the throughline I see in all of Johan Rijpma’s works: the beauty that is created from letting the real world exist. All his works are chaotic because the real world is chaotic, but so much art can be found in the chaos. Tiles could’ve been made with a single tile he drew on, but instead he used existing tiles, that choice introduces the unpredictability of the outside world into the work, which he revels in. Overall all of his works give me a deep appreciation for how beautiful the world is, in it’s unpredictable and random ways.