Artist Adriaan de Wolf: 'Impressions seen in both face and body'

35-year-old Adriaan de Wolf enjoys painting portraits, people and figures. He tries to find vulnerability, and from there also strength, in what he puts on canvas. In addition to his own work, he also paints on commission. In 2020, Adriaan painted the winning portrait of Janny van de Heijden in the TV program "Stars on the Canvas. The artist has been invited to Mexico for several months for an Artist Residency program, where Adriaan will work on his next body of work. However, before he leaves for Mexico, he will first attend MASTERS GALLERY.Text: Mical Joseph
Image: Adriaan de Wolf

'Lokke'

"From an early age, I found myself marveling immensely, walking through museums with my parents, at the real Dutch masters. Rembrandt, Breitner, Van Gogh. How did they do it anyway? They are blobs of paint, sometimes thick, sometimes thin, sometimes very precisely positioned, other times seemingly random. But in all cases it resulted in an insane portrait. Seven years ago I took up the challenge of trying to unravel this mystery. Occasionally I think I get it all, but then it all still turns out to be so elusive. Very sometimes I think I secretly come close." (20x30cm, oil on panel)

'Trio'

"Three women, in different positions. Are they together, or is it every man for himself? Do they communicate with each other, or does the language come from within. Where are they actually, is it a forest, are they ruins? Do the colors in their bodies say something about them or about me? Are they nymphs, witches or still the three gratins who are shaping the world? Perhaps it is a single person going through a development. They often say with art that the image should already say everything. That an explanation would only get in the way of the viewer's imagination. In the past I sometimes had the idea of having to explain everything in order to convey my intention so clearly, but gradually I have learned that it is much more interesting to notice what effect the same image has on different people." (150x120cm, oil on linen)

'Impressions'

"About a year ago I started looking for someone who worked in the emergency room and wanted to pose for me in full costume. It always seemed like an open door to kick in, but during the second wave I got a strong desire to do something with the situation we are now in the tail end of. The idea was to make a tribute in a small series in the style of the old masters, a tribute to the people on the front lines. This work is about the impressions at the end of the day, week, month, year. Impressions that can be seen in the face as well as in the body. Impressions that everyone feels." (150x100cm, oil on linen)