I have always been obsessed with Johannes Vermeer.
When I was young, I was often able to study Vermeer's works on site, in my hometown The Hague (notably in the Mauritshuis).
In my early years as a painter, I used these images of Vermeer as simple references.
In 2024, the decisive confrontation took place when I unexpectedly encountered two iconic paintings by Vermeer that I had never seen in real life, at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin:
Together in the same room: Stendhal syndrome guaranteed....
That was when I understood that I had to tackle these iconic images once and for all.
In my works of 2024 they come back, then disappear again. Details are extracted and transported into my environment. Distorted, recognizable, but transformed into dreams of Aspendos, of the Eurymedon river, of Bourgane or the Julien bridge.
Confronted with the reality of 350 years later they keep their power as icons.
They are consumed and digested in homage to this infinitely great Dutch painter of the 17th century.