Emotion, drawn in lines.
Montana Engels is a young Belgian artist who has developed an innovative and intriguing way of portrait painting. With only lines, she creates portraits that appear abstract up close, but surprisingly come to life realistically from a distance. The subtle interplay of light, shadow, and line thickness forms the basis of a complex visual language. Every stroke is the result of a conscious thought process, where the next stroke is always in dialogue with the previous one. This unique "STRIPED" concept is entirely Montana's own.
Her style emerged after years of refining her traditional portrait technique and extensive experimentation – first on paper, then on canvas. Her first striped painting, “GiGi,” marked a significant breakthrough. Each work begins with extensive studies of light and shadow, color research, and multiple sketches to convincingly translate the image she envisions onto the canvas.
“Not every line will be perfect, just like in life. Not every choice will be perfect. But if you trust the process, adapt where necessary, and keep going, it will all make sense in the grand scheme of things.”
This philosophy of life is clearly reflected in her work. Montana confronts her own perfectionism: she never uses a ruler or tools to straighten lines. She consciously embraces the fact that not every line will be perfectly straight. This gives her work a unique character and emphasizes that it is entirely hand-painted. Those who come closer will also discover countless subtle color variations between the lines.
The subjects Montana chooses always carry a certain “edge” — visible in their gaze, posture, and strong presence. Women are central to her art: always depicted in their full elegance and strength. Her strong empathy and fascination with psychology allow her to capture particularly penetrating gazes with just lines.
Through her intensive research into rhythm, color theory, and style, Montana has fully mastered this original technique — thus introducing a groundbreaking visual language within the contemporary art world.