Venetian #2

Venetian #2 by Remaut. Acrylic, mixed media on canvas120 x 100 cm |1997

Venetian #2 exemplifies Roger Remaut's exploration of painting as both image and object. Built through layers of acrylic and mixed media, the work possesses a richly textured relief surface that evokes the appearance of weathered walls marked by time, erosion, and human intervention. Throughout his practice, Remaut has been fascinated by architectural surfaces that bear the traces of age, where deterioration and repair become part of a structure's visual history.

The composition is animated by vertical passages that appear to flow across the canvas, creating a dynamic tension between movement and stability. Contrasting tonal fields are interrupted and connected by rope cross-stitching, a recurring element in Remaut's work. These stitched sections suggest a surface that has been damaged and subsequently repaired, transforming acts of mending into a central visual and conceptual feature. Rather than concealing imperfections, the stitching emphasises them, drawing attention to themes of fragility, resilience, and renewal.

The physicality of the surface, combined with subtle shifts between light and dark, encourages close viewing and reveals the work's layered construction. Balancing monumentality with intimacy, Venetian #2 demonstrates Remaut's ability to transform abstraction into a meditation on memory, material change, and the passage of time.

Selected for exhibition at the Beecroft Art Gallery (Southend Museums), the painting represents an important example of Remaut's mature work from the late 1990s. It is presented by Xochi Art Gallery as part of the Remaut Collection: New Horizons exhibition.