Precocious artist
Raul’s first and preferred toy was his pencil.
As a one-year-old baby he amazed everyone with his way of easily holding a pencil. Me, his father, as a professional commercial artist, was intrigued but refrained being careful not to interfere with this rare show of talent. I never showed him how to use a pencil. I didn’t want to destroy such amazing and rare accomplishment of a one-year-old baby in a high chair. We just couldn’t believe it. It was a stunt we showed everybody. We would hand him a pencil the wrong way. He then grabbed it with right hand turning it around with his little fingers until he got it in writing position and would start scribbling. Then we tried his left hand. He grabbed the pencil, moved it to his right hand and then again positioned the pencil into the correct writing position. It never failed. We asked ourselves was this reincarnation?
He kept drawing or scribbling whenever there was a chance and a piece of paper around during his whole life, with ever greater expression and vitality.
We saved hundreds of his early drawings and dated each of then carefully. Over time he developed his skills making very expressive gesture drawings while observing interesting figures. He would gaze at them and we just new that a new drawing was in the making. As soon we were home the hunchback or other was recorded in minutes on paper. I never have seen him copying other artist’s work.
His studies were later also used in his sculptures.
Raul had his problems at school. Not learning problems. Rather his behavior. The teacher would be the laughing stock for the fun of the students around him. The teacher had to react against this show of disrespect. The principal requested my presence. She laid out the problem. With a smile on her face she explained that it was a real problem. The teacher loved Raul. They loved his drawings, but could not tolerate his undisciplined behavior. The teacher could not control the classroom. They called his attention several times and even asked him to leave the classroom and finally to send him home confident that this would teach him a lesson and affect his performance… Not so! Raul was fine when they sent him home! When the exams were up it would certainly reflect his poor judgment. Again, not so! Raul was the only one with pure 20 all over. The principle showed her admiration for Raul but asked for our help to curb the situation. As a matter of fact, she added, ”the teacher who complained also happened to be her husband!”
He went to the university to study architecture. (I recommended him to get a degree of some discipline to counterbalance his artistic career. In the university he created the same kind of problems. He didn’t admire the faculty member and thought he was an asshole. He would always go his own way in creativity. At the end of his turn it cost him his degree. He didn’t pass. I had to explain to Raul that he had to cooperate with the prof if he were ever to get his degree. After that, to hell with that idiot and was free to criticize or disqualify him and enjoy his own talent and vision. He followed my advice and graduated easily the following year.
There was a contest going on t design a middle school complex. Raul participated. His design received merit of honor. His design was very well conceived and functional but too avant-garde for this project. He employed himself right away but disliked the lack of creativity. He abandoned architecture as a profession but kept on using his degree for his credentials. He saw himself more as a sculptor. He was fascinated with the human form and mostly with the female figure. He was very romantic.
He also liked playing the flute and was part of a group. He used to practice listening to recordings and playing his part on the flute. I remember, one day observing him practice, I made a nasty remark: "good… great… this may help you improve a lot!" He brushed me away with the remark: “this is my own recording”.
The tragic part of his life was his health. He was severely asthmatic. Born in Caracas, Venezuela. At the age of 3 we had to return to Holland, because of the political turmoil in Venezuela, The timing was bad. It was January and bitter cold. Raul suffered immediately a double pneumonia and almost lost his life. He slowly recovered but was left in an incurably serous asthmatic condition. Back in Venezuela, 40 years old, he decided to take some time off and go to the beach with some of his friends. He liked a quiet spot where for precaution no swimming was allowed. Few people around and sunbathing was ideal. Then he became aware that a local teenager, not heeding the signs, was swimming and was in trouble. No people around to help him, he didn’t think twice and went in to save the kid. Imagine, the least indicated person and not trained at all to play rescuer… End of story: The boy was saved… and Raul paid the price. We lost him forever!
Raul had visited us in Miami and stayed about 3 months before returning to Caracas. He needed some pocket money and gave some classes at the Ceramic League of Miami. His talent was immediately recognized and he got an interview by a local TV station, of which I have a copy. In one of the classes he modeled from a life model, a beautiful nude in a very interesting pose, like weeping or in thought. He could not recover the statue before going home and asked me to get it for him. When I retrieved the sculpture months after, I was shocked and in tears. It is such a beautiful piece. I saw it as a sad female mourning the early death of its own creator…
Bernie Borsten, father
Samen met Raul zat ik (12) schooljaar 1968-1969 op Pensionaat Saint Louis te Oudenbosch. We hadden vrijwel meteen een klik, waarschijnlijk vanwege ons min of meer zelfde gevoel voor humor. Raul was erg geestig - voor mij als provinciale Tilburger met zachte G - als vrijgevochten Amsterdams jochie met dat scherpe Amsterdamse accent. Raul kon fantastisch tekenen; wij maakten samen in de recreatiezaal diverse stripverhalen, gebaseerd op de toen al beroemde Smurfen. Wij lieten die Smurfen allerlei gekke dingen doen; we hadden samen erg veel pret.
Raul, was my best friend. We shared many dreams together and explore what we could do in our country to make it a better place with art. He would show up at my mom´s or sister´s birthday with an special gift, wrapped beautifully. An Avocado or a Mango. He was very funny and humble person.
Raúl siempre era muy inquieto en su expresión artística. Al parecer no le gustaba quedarse "encasillado" en alguna actividad. En un mismo día hacía dibujos, tocaba flauta y trabajaba en la cerámica. También tocaba guitarra, pintaba al óleo (hasta donde le permitía su asma), creaba diseños arquitectónicos, construía maquetas. Inventaba juguetes que luego patentaba. Era fotógrafo comercial y artístico. E inventaba chistes. El tenía una chispa humorística muy especial. Era genial en combinar ideas disparejas.
We were at the beach sun tanning and he told me to relax the eyes and find the blue light, so that the sun doesn't feel too hard on my eyes.
I was a good friend of Raul. I am also half Dutch and had a Russian mother. I used to call him (as a joke) Roel Tienen. I was devastated when I heard about his passing away.I still miss him. Raúl was a great person and an incredible good friend for me. He even made a portrait of me. This is so nice to remember him. As I already told, I will miss him always...