Cinema between monochrome painting and light vibrations : 'Essentieel' (1964) by Jef Verheyen and Paul De Vree
- Author
- Steven Jacobs (UGent) and Kathy Vanhout
- Organization
- Abstract
- Essentieel (1964) is a short experimental film made by Belgian abstract painter Jef Verheyen in collaboration with poet Paul De Vree. A cinematic equivalent of Verheyen’s attempts in representing the warmth and vibrations of light in his monochrome or ‘essentialist’ paintings of the late 1950s and 1960s, the film plays on the tensions between abstract color surfaces and natural elements. Apart from offering a close-reading of Essentieel, this article investigates the film’s production context. In addition, it situates Essentieel in the history of experimental cinema, particularly abstract and visionary film, and it investigates the work’s relation to the aspirations of the landmark exhibition Vision in Motion – Motion in Vision (Antwerp, 1959), which is usually considered the first important international manifestation of the ZERO art movement. Consequently, this article analyzes Essentieel in the larger European context of ZERO and Verheyen’s collaborations and affinities with leading neo-avant-garde artists such as Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Yves Klein, and Jésus Rafael Soto.
- Keywords
- experimental film, abstract painting, Zero, Jef Verheyen, Paul De Vree, monochrome painting, abstract film, ZERO movement
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ESSENTIEEL SEC 2022.pdf
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01HCM1H040WQNA93NRGYECW28A
- MLA
- Jacobs, Steven, and Kathy Vanhout. “Cinema between Monochrome Painting and Light Vibrations : ‘Essentieel’ (1964) by Jef Verheyen and Paul De Vree.” STUDIES IN EUROPEAN CINEMA, vol. 22, no. 1, 2025, pp. 32–46, doi:10.1080/17411548.2023.2266947.
- APA
- Jacobs, S., & Vanhout, K. (2025). Cinema between monochrome painting and light vibrations : “Essentieel” (1964) by Jef Verheyen and Paul De Vree. STUDIES IN EUROPEAN CINEMA, 22(1), 32–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/17411548.2023.2266947
- Chicago author-date
- Jacobs, Steven, and Kathy Vanhout. 2025. “Cinema between Monochrome Painting and Light Vibrations : ‘Essentieel’ (1964) by Jef Verheyen and Paul De Vree.” STUDIES IN EUROPEAN CINEMA 22 (1): 32–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/17411548.2023.2266947.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Jacobs, Steven, and Kathy Vanhout. 2025. “Cinema between Monochrome Painting and Light Vibrations : ‘Essentieel’ (1964) by Jef Verheyen and Paul De Vree.” STUDIES IN EUROPEAN CINEMA 22 (1): 32–46. doi:10.1080/17411548.2023.2266947.
- Vancouver
- 1.Jacobs S, Vanhout K. Cinema between monochrome painting and light vibrations : “Essentieel” (1964) by Jef Verheyen and Paul De Vree. STUDIES IN EUROPEAN CINEMA. 2025;22(1):32–46.
- IEEE
- [1]S. Jacobs and K. Vanhout, “Cinema between monochrome painting and light vibrations : ‘Essentieel’ (1964) by Jef Verheyen and Paul De Vree,” STUDIES IN EUROPEAN CINEMA, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 32–46, 2025.
@article{01HCM1H040WQNA93NRGYECW28A,
abstract = {{Essentieel (1964) is a short experimental film made by Belgian abstract painter Jef Verheyen in collaboration with poet Paul De Vree. A cinematic equivalent of Verheyen’s attempts in representing the warmth and vibrations of light in his monochrome or ‘essentialist’ paintings of the late 1950s and 1960s, the film plays on the tensions between abstract color surfaces and natural elements. Apart from offering a close-reading of Essentieel, this article investigates the film’s production context. In addition, it situates Essentieel in the history of experimental cinema, particularly abstract and visionary film, and it investigates the work’s relation to the aspirations of the landmark exhibition Vision in Motion – Motion in Vision (Antwerp, 1959), which is usually considered the first important international manifestation of the ZERO art movement. Consequently, this article analyzes Essentieel in the larger European context of ZERO and Verheyen’s collaborations and affinities with leading neo-avant-garde artists such as Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, Yves Klein, and Jésus Rafael Soto.}},
author = {{Jacobs, Steven and Vanhout, Kathy}},
issn = {{1741-1548}},
journal = {{STUDIES IN EUROPEAN CINEMA}},
keywords = {{experimental film,abstract painting,Zero,Jef Verheyen,Paul De Vree,monochrome painting,abstract film,ZERO movement}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{32--46}},
title = {{Cinema between monochrome painting and light vibrations : 'Essentieel' (1964) by Jef Verheyen and Paul De Vree}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.1080/17411548.2023.2266947}},
volume = {{22}},
year = {{2025}},
}
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