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Nul

Henk Peters, Jan Henderikse, Armando en Jan Schoonhoven in Delft
1960 to 1965

The Dutch Nul-movement was founded two years after the ZERO. The founders where: Jan Schoonhoven, Armando, Jan Henderikse and Henk Peeters. Later, herman de vries joined the group.

The group lasted untill 1965. The Nul-works are anti-painting-alike and traditional materials such as painting and stone were replaced by industrial materials.

Nul-works are oftenly recognised by the folowing characteristiscs:

Monochrome: Colors are reduced to only one or two: oftenly black and red (Armando) and white (Jan Schoonhoven and Henk Peeters)
Repetitiveness: Nul loved rythm and regularity. Repetitiveness of isomorphous elements within one concept, is typical for Nul-works.
Seriality: The authentic artpiece was declared dead by Nul. The modern times and industrial materials were seen as a new era. The machinal production of artworks was typical for Nul. In exception of Jan Schoonhoven, all the Nul-artists made multiples.
Directness of the materials: A Nul-work has to be a objective and neutral image of the reality. Lots of materials were used without bringing any change to them.
 

The expo "nul" in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1965
Jan Henderikse, Jan Schoonhoven, Armando and Henk Peeters, 1961, photo: Hermann Bartels
Poster of the exhibition "nul" in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, 1965