Hildegarde Handsaeme
- Michael Hanna
- Jul 1
- 2 min read
Hildegarde Handsaeme is a figurative painter and draftswoman who has exhibited across Europe, especially in Belgium, as well as in New York. Recent solo exhibitions in Belgium include Pjez Unique in Antwerp, Gallery DaDa in Rotselaar, De Bosuil Gallery in Overijse, Begijnhof Gallery in Tongeren, Rue Blaes 150 in Brussels, Galerij Geens in Overijse, and Gallery Charlotte van Lorreinen in Tervuren. Hildegarde’s recent collective exhibitions include Kunst in Overijse in Belgium, Sanary-sur-Mer in France, Hotel Le Cinq Codet in Paris, Pjez Unique in Antwerp, Museum CODA in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, ADAF (Annual Dutch Art Fair) in Amsterdam, Grimbergen Abbey in Grimbergen, Belgium, KunstSalon at Castle Daelenbroeck in Roermond, Netherlands, Den Blank Cultural Center in Overijse, Belgium, and Galerie 'De Ontdekking van de Hemel' in Halle, Belgium. She has been published by Resident Magazine NY, Magazine Lane Lamerson Interiors, and Ateliermagazine.
Containing elements of minimalism as well as figurative abstraction, the painting and drawings of Hildegarde Handsaeme have the appearance of printmaking prints due to their precision level of detail and blocks of color, similar to a silkscreen, woodcut, or lithograph. These sensual figures are accentuated through a great sense of curvature and angularity with minimal application. Her works have a retro art nouveau aspect from the early 20th century through heavily stylized figures and an elegant aesthetic. When we investigate these works however, we will find a deeply unique application through the integration of composition, structure, and female form combined into a single element.
These figurative structures represent beauty, aesthetics, as well as sensuality through elongated angular distortions and intimate curves of feminine form. Hildegarde’s drawings go further in minimalist aesthetic as they define figures with just a few lines as opposed to the filled in spaces of the paintings. Through these compositions, we find ourselves on a plane of lush flesh treated as a sort of landscape through symbolic and metaphorical representation, rather than a sense of direct observation. The interpretative works explore the nuance and craft of painting through the lens of extreme flatness, void of any brushstrokes, and containing a great sense of precision leaving an impression more similar to a print rather than a painting of marks.
Lacomplexité (pictured above) reveals a character split into two. From multiple perspectives or through methods of distortion, she becomes repeated through multiple angles. The figure's solemn face and gentle posture along with the cool color schematic indicates a relaxing composition.
Hildegarde Handsaeme uses linearity, angular distortion, curvature, minimalist elements, a sense of flatness and an expression of precision to reveal deeply interpretive compositions. Through an elegant eye and a sophisticated brush, she brings forth these sensual forms of figures expressing love, intimacy, and companionship. With poetic inclinations and symbolic representation, Hildegarde Handsaeme creates paintings which have a deep impact on the viewer’s understanding of minimalist interpretative structure applied in the context of figurative nuance.
