Wim Claessen
My work has to do with recognition and memory. The situations I paint are universally recognizable, but open to interpretation.
Wim Claessen’s work can be typified as recognizable and universal. He paints his landscapes and people in a strong simplified visual language. Claessen paints situations that would only lightly catch our attention: two boys in a rowboat, or the glittering of sunlight on a lake.
When looking at Wim Claessen's work, we initially see landscapes that have their own unusual atmosphere due to the special use of light and color. This can make the works seem strange, but that strangeness is also found in the tranquility of the whole. There is something mystical about it that is not easy to put into words. At first glance, they are distant works, yet the artist's emotion can be found in them. On the one hand, through his balanced painting technique, and on the other, through the fact that he remains true to himself—close to his contemplative spirit and close to omitting what is unnecessary.
