Why Did Daan Lemaire Stop Using the Term "Lyrical Abstraction"?

Updated

Daan Lemaire moved away from the term "lyrical abstraction" because his work itself changed. According to his own statement on daanlemaire.exto.org, "lyrical abstraction" served for about ten years as a good description of how he painted on paper and worked with glass fusing. After 2007, his art became more expressive and "basic," and the lyrical notion disappeared more and more. The shift was not a rejection of the earlier label so much as a recognition that it no longer fit what he was making.

What "lyrical abstraction" described

Lemaire applies the term to two connected bodies of work:

  • Loose abstract watercolors and gouaches on paper, which he began making in series from 2000
  • Fused glass art, which he says has "much connection" with the watercolors

For roughly a decade, "lyrical abstraction" captured the character of both: an abstract, modern approach with a lyrical quality. The label worked as a description of his way of painting on paper and with glass fusing, not as a movement he formally joined.

What changed after 2007

Two things happened at once in his account:

  1. The work became more expressive and "basic." The painting moved toward a rawer, more direct mode.
  2. The lyrical quality faded. In his words, "the lyrical notion disappeared more and more."

Alongside this, his preferences shifted toward strong colours applied with a rough brush — a direction he says he increasingly enjoys. That combination of strong colour and rough brushwork sits awkwardly under a term built around lyricism, which is why the label was dropped rather than redefined.

Why this matters for reading his work

If you encounter "lyrical abstraction" in connection with Lemaire, treat it as a period description covering roughly 2000 to around 2007, not as a summary of his current practice. The continuity across the change is the medium and the connection between paper and glass; the break is in temperament — from lyrical to expressive and basic.

His site presents the recent gouaches on paper as images, so the shift is something you can check directly against the work rather than take on description alone.