Lot 61: - Willem van Veldhuizen , b. 1954 Metropolitan Four acrylic on canvas

signed and dated '94 on the reverse and titled on the stretcher acrylic on canvas

80 by 100 cm.

Rotterdam, Kunsthal, Nederlandse Realisten na 1950, May - August 2001, p. 144, illustrated in colour

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

PROPERTY OF A DUTCH PRIVATE COLLECTOR
Although Willem van Veldhuizen never developed towards abstract expressionism, he was very much inspired by the work of Mark Rothko. Just as Rothko, Van Veldhuizen seeks the balance in his composition, the power of great colour surfaces and the vibrations these colours evoke on the large canvas. We can see this fascination in his series of museums. These building offer great spaces for the architecture is impressive but sober enough so they don't deprive too much attention from the art works. To make these spaces into interesting subject matters for an independent artwork, the artist gives it an extra dimension by taking a frog perspective. He spends half of the composition on the floor and intently gives expression to the material. This is only interesting because his technique is outstanding. The painting consists of many layers; first he paints a layer with shadows, then many layers of spots in different colours which he splashes on the canvas and finally he shapes these into tiles. In the end he uses approximately forty layers of varnish in order to create the shiny effect.

In these museum paintings he often refers to his favourites in art history by depicting sculptures by Michelangelo, paintings by Picasso or furniture by Rietveld. Another artist to whom he feels connected is Pieter Saenredam whose church interiors have the same stillness in colour and space which makes it almost sacred.