Line and contour play a prominent role in the early work of Ber Mengels. His paintings of the 1950s are often restrained and dark in tone, with streets, façades and other urban subjects structured through clearly defined lines and planes. His work later became freer and more diverse, although his interest in structure and material remained an important element.
Mengels was born in Heerlen in 1921 and worked in the Limburg coal mines as a young man. He later recalled choosing night shifts in the hope of having time during the day to develop his artistic interests. Despite the demanding work, he attended drawing classes in Heerlen. In 1943 he went into hiding to avoid forced labour and for a time attended art classes in Maastricht. After the war he briefly returned to the mines before eventually moving to The Hague, where his artistic career developed further. His work is associated with the New Hague School.
In his early Hague paintings, Mengels frequently turned his attention to ordinary parts of the city. Rather than monumental city views, he focused on the architecture and structure of streets, façades and buildings. Contour and line strongly determine the composition, giving many of these paintings an almost graphic quality. A good example is the pair of paintings from 1953 depicting the Kalvermarkt near the Korte Houtstraat. Mengels portrayed the same location in The Hague both during the day and at night.
Over the course of his career, Mengels worked increasingly freely and explored a wide range of materials and techniques. In addition to paintings, he produced drawings, etchings, collages and sculptures and developed his own form of collagraphy. From the 1960s onwards he also experimented with light, movement and sound. He created kinetic objects and later even constructions that could function as musical instruments.
This continuing urge to explore new artistic possibilities is aptly reflected in the title of the 2004 monograph on his work: Schilderen is experimenteren (Painting is Experimenting).
From 1954 to 1979, Mengels taught at the Vrije Academie in The Hague, where former students remembered him as a highly valued teacher. In 1969 he became a working member of Pulchri Studio by invitation.
His work is represented in the collection of Kunstmuseum Den Haag, which holds both paintings and graphic works by Mengels.
