Rob van den Berg / Painter
Painting for me is a way to show what’s inside people.
Painting people, from the inside towards the outside.
Painting people is marvelous, it is interesting to immerse yourself completely in a person. The painting can show somebody from the outside and at the same time express what’s going on inside.
I like to move people who are looking at it, if that works, then it is ok.
Even though I am painting people, I am not a portrait painter, that feels too limited in my view. Portrait painting is often used to show only the glamorous side of a person.
Paintings as snapshots.
When a painting is finished and you look at it, I like the person to be experienced in her own mood, without being a model. This is already used a lot in photography, but I love to create that atmosphere in a painting, that moment for yourself.
I am unobserved by the one I am painting.
Paintings of the ones I love.
It is special to make paintings of your own wife and children, you know them well, very well even, but sometimes that can be a barrier for the spontaneity in your way of working.
Trying too hard to make it beautiful doesn’t always mean a better result. I find it really important to feel free while working. And then there are always those magic days, when it flows so easily.
Paintings in reality.
My brother Frank was hospitalized in intensive care years ago, where he remained for three months and despite himself survived.
He died a few years later in 2012 after having a life dominated by drugs and alcohol.
Whether it is sadness or pleasure, when I succeed in catching the true emotions of the person I am working on, a painting can make me feel happy.
I am Dutch, born in 1952, studied Graphic Design at the School of Arts in Rotterdam, founder / art director of two Design Agencies. I started painting in 1999.