Skip to main content

Utrecht Revisited

 

A new show in the Gallery Rob Rademaker


I love being in the old historic downtown of Utrecht. 

It's always nice to return to the place where I used to live for 13 happy years, until 7 years ago we moved to another beautiful but totally different place. Luckily the old city centre is not changing much or rapidly so I still recognise and enjoy the historic streets, grachten, hofjes, churches and houses I used to walk along.   
Right in the middle of this beautiful downtown, behind the city hall, you can find the Gallery Rob Rademaker, located on the ground floor of a very old house with a rich history. This autumn, the gallery is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Now you can imagine how excited, happy and honoured I am to be exhibiting my paintings here. 
From 9 September to the end of October, the works of three artists, Rob Jacobs, Henri Poppelaars and myself are on show in this gallery. 

Well, if you happen to (re)visit Utrecht during these months, take a leisurely stroll down the medieval streets and be sure to stop by the Gallery Rob Rademaker to view our show. You won't be disappointed!
Alongside Rob and Henri's masterpieces, you will also find 15 of my landscapes and interiors there. 

Gallery Rob Rademaker is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 
The address is Minrebroederstraat 9, Utrecht. 





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Artist's Home

  Ameland Views on the Walls of the Artist's Home  A couple of weeks ago, I received a very special commission from the Eiland van Verhalen . The client requested that I design a background decoration for their stage show - a kind of illustration that would combine the iconic views of all four villages on the island. The final piece needed to be in a certain proportion, as it will be printed on a screen measuring 4 by 2.3 meters. I proposed the idea of creating a "paintings painting", featuring the interior of an island house adorned with paintings on the walls, each one depicting recognisable landmarks from the villages. This idea appealed to me as it presented a nice challenge and an opportunity to create a genuine painting. The client agreed that it was an interesting concept.  I had five weeks to complete the commission. Paul and I went across the island, taking hundreds of photographs for reference. I decided to use the interior of our own home as the compositional t...

Master Studies

  Studying  I believe that practice is the best form of learning, and master copying is the most effective to practice while studying. Since we always (aspire to) learn, I find that copying a masterpiece that inspires you is an excellent method to achieve this.  In essence, master copying is not about creating perfect replicas; instead, it's about gaining a deeper understanding of artistic principles and techniques. It's a valuable tool for any artist seeking to improve their skills and expand their knowledge.  From time to time, I will update this post with my new master studies. Here are some: May 2025 After J.C. Leyendecker painting "Couple on Deck Chairs. 1904" I have been fascinated by the works and biography of this great Golden Age artist for a long time. Recently, I finally read a beautiful book titled simply, "J.C. Leyendecker", written by Laurence S. Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler. His name and influence were most prolific; his private life was kep...

Matthew's POV

Challenging a masterpiece Since I've always wanted to learn more about chiaroscuro and tenebrism, I thought it would be useful to try and master-copy a (detail of a) tenebrist masterpiece. And what is my favourite painting by the great Master of Tenebrism? The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio, of course.  I can stare at this painting (or the photographs and videos of it) for hours, exploring and still discovering numerous aspects and details, often ending with more questions than answers. The one certainty is that the composition, colours and values, poses and gestures, and most of all, the light , that plays the leading role, are the work of mind of a true genius. I spent hours trying to find out about the nature and the position of those light sources (and there were surely more than one!), yet I still don't know exactly how Caravaggio designed that setting. For a long time, I hesitated, but one day I decided to try master-copying a detail of the painting. In any case,...