stræc

vector | ©2015 Luuk de Haan | paper 100 x 72,5, print 77 x 54
printed on hahnemühle paper or dibond  | unique

stræc is a series of digital artworks that explores the visual and conceptual nature of vectors – mathematical quantities that express direction and magnitude in space. In this body of work, I use the notion of the vector not only as a compositional element but also as a metaphor for spatial tension, movement, and abstraction.

Each piece begins with a carefully selected color palette. I then employ digital tools to place rectangular forms across a virtual canvas. These rectangles serve as anchors for the generation of random triangles and intersecting shapes, which evoke the directional and forceful qualities of vectors. The resulting images hover between structure and spontaneity, order and distortion.

The title stræc comes from an Old English word meaning ‘rigid after being stretched’ – a fitting metaphor for the visual effect of the works. The images often feel as though they’ve been pulled taut across an invisible plane, stretched to the edge of stability. In the layering of geometric forms and the dense, grid-like textures, one can sense both tension and balance.

With stræc, I aim to continue the legacy of geometric abstraction while pushing its digital possibilities. This series stands in dialogue with the work of artists like Kazimir Malevich and Piet Mondrian, yet it is distinctly rooted in the language of the digital era – where randomness, algorithm, and repetition meet intention, gesture, and form.