Paul Blanca
Encyclopedia
Paul Blanca is a Dutch art photographer. His official name is Paul Vlaswinkel. Blanca’s interest in photography was sparked after meeting Eva Veldhoen (1950), who was the daughter of the renowned painter [Aat Veldhoen] (1934). The artistic environment triggered Blanca’s creativity which he decided to express in photography. He began using a small screen camera, shooting in color but soon afterwards switched to black-and-white photos by the means of a Hasselblad
camera (6x6 cm). From the 1980s onwards he started to get recognition for his work through his confrontational violent self portraits inspired by the works of Andres Serrano (1950) and most notably Robert Mapplethorpe
(1946–1989).
(1932), a photographer himself as well and who owned a photo studio. Blanca even played a part in one of Van Manen’s choreographies, Pose, in which he enacted a kickboxer
, a sport he had been practicing from when he was sixteen years old, surrounded by ten ballerina’s.
Mapplethorpe immediate showed a great interest in Blanca’s work and was Blanca’s entry into the New York high society of artists like Grace Jones
, Jasper Johns
, Willem De Kooning
and Keith Haring
. The relationship between the two author’s is most known through Mapplethorpe’s statement that “Paul Blanca is my only competitor.” Bill Katz, an art collector even states in True Colors – The Real Life of the Art World, by Anthony Haden
, that “He reaches a kind of poetry few artists have.”
Blanca is also known for his book Timing, published in 1986 which depicts upcoming Dutch artists of the 1980s complimented by the poems of Koos Dalstra (1950). The theme of emotion comes out very literally in his series called Par la Pluie des Femmes, in which he captured women in tears by letting them think about their most traumatic experiences. Furthermore did Blanca work alongside fellow photographers Hans Gieles and Francis Boeske of gallyer Vous Etes Ici, with whom he produced the Sangre de Toro series in 1991, capturing bull fights in Spain. In the same time Blanca began to write as a research journalist and columnist for the Amsterdam Weekly, the Nieuwe Revu
as well as the newspaper Het Parool on issues he came across in daily life as well as on the subject of the drugs crack which he started to use himself in order to write about, which resulted in an addiction.
in 1995 because of the explored use of grenades debated in the article. The drama that unfolded over Blanca resulted in an addiction which he was able to shake off by buying a mountain bike which he drove to Spain and came back clean. After this, he made a comeback with a project called Mi Mattes, which shows a number of gangmembers hanging around his studio.
Hasselblad
Victor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium-format cameras and photographic equipment based in Gothenburg, Sweden.The company is best known for the medium-format cameras it has produced since World War II....
camera (6x6 cm). From the 1980s onwards he started to get recognition for his work through his confrontational violent self portraits inspired by the works of Andres Serrano (1950) and most notably Robert Mapplethorpe
Robert Mapplethorpe
Robert Mapplethorpe was an American photographer, known for his large-scale, highly stylized black and white portraits, photos of flowers and nude men...
(1946–1989).
Influences
Another big influence on Blanca’s work was the choreographer Hans van ManenHans van Manen
Hans van Manen is a Dutch ballet dancer, choreographer and photographer.He is a son of a German housemaid. He studied under Sonia Gaskell, Françoise Adret and Nora Kiss. Van Manen wrote many ballets. He worked for the Dutch National Ballet from 1973 to 1985. He was awarded the Erasmus Prize in...
(1932), a photographer himself as well and who owned a photo studio. Blanca even played a part in one of Van Manen’s choreographies, Pose, in which he enacted a kickboxer
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
, a sport he had been practicing from when he was sixteen years old, surrounded by ten ballerina’s.
Mapplethorpe immediate showed a great interest in Blanca’s work and was Blanca’s entry into the New York high society of artists like Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
, Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns, Jr. is an American contemporary artist who works primarily in painting and printmaking.-Life:Born in Augusta, Georgia, Jasper Johns spent his early life in Allendale, South Carolina with his paternal grandparents after his parents' marriage failed...
, Willem De Kooning
Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands....
and Keith Haring
Keith Haring
Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.-Early life:...
. The relationship between the two author’s is most known through Mapplethorpe’s statement that “Paul Blanca is my only competitor.” Bill Katz, an art collector even states in True Colors – The Real Life of the Art World, by Anthony Haden
Anthony Haden-Guest
Anthony Haden-Guest is a British-American writer, reporter, cartoonist, art critic, poet, and socialite who lives in New York and London. He is a frequent contributor to major magazines and has had several books published.-Family:...
, that “He reaches a kind of poetry few artists have.”
Themes
Recurrent themes in Blanca’s self-portraits are characterized by strong emotions and violence expressed through fear, aggression, pain, sadness and sexuality. Mapplethorne’s own personal favorite photo however, is a much more sensitive, nude shot called Mother and Son, in which passionately embraces his mother. Another example of his other side is Father and Son, a self-portrait on which he holds his newborn son.Blanca is also known for his book Timing, published in 1986 which depicts upcoming Dutch artists of the 1980s complimented by the poems of Koos Dalstra (1950). The theme of emotion comes out very literally in his series called Par la Pluie des Femmes, in which he captured women in tears by letting them think about their most traumatic experiences. Furthermore did Blanca work alongside fellow photographers Hans Gieles and Francis Boeske of gallyer Vous Etes Ici, with whom he produced the Sangre de Toro series in 1991, capturing bull fights in Spain. In the same time Blanca began to write as a research journalist and columnist for the Amsterdam Weekly, the Nieuwe Revu
Nieuwe Revu
The Nieuwe Revu is a weekly general interest magazine from The Netherlands, coming out on Wednesday and is written in Dutch.The magazine was an explicitly left winged in the seventies with a big focus on sex, sensation and socialism.-Editorial board:...
as well as the newspaper Het Parool on issues he came across in daily life as well as on the subject of the drugs crack which he started to use himself in order to write about, which resulted in an addiction.
Bad Publicity
His career took a turn for the worse, when an article he wrote for Nieuwe Revu was linked to the assault on Rob ScholteRob Scholte
Rob Scholte is a Dutch contemporary artist. From 1977 to 1982 he studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam. His work consists of reproductions of images from the media and from art history...
in 1995 because of the explored use of grenades debated in the article. The drama that unfolded over Blanca resulted in an addiction which he was able to shake off by buying a mountain bike which he drove to Spain and came back clean. After this, he made a comeback with a project called Mi Mattes, which shows a number of gangmembers hanging around his studio.