Robert van de Graaf

Lives and works in The Hague, The Netherlands

Artist statement

Robert van de Graaf (b. 1983, the Netherlands) is interested in exploring the intersection and connections between his inner (spiritual) life, the philosophy of (daily) life, and his reflections on nature or built environments. He is primarily working on his oil paintings, but he is also using drawings and watercolours during the creation process. Robert works from his inner space outwards to the space that surrounds him. The metaphorical artworks can often be read as inner landscapes, and he wishes the works to feel like an invitation, a spiritual dialogue offering an opening towards introspection and personal deepening, both for himself and for the viewer. At the heart of his practice lies a profound questioning of human destiny and the ways in which individuals can evolve and grow spiritually. The oil paintings are layered and structured through tensions between figuration and abstraction, nature and structure, energetic movement and balance, intuition and ratio, observation and reflection. The artworks give viewers space for both wonder and interpretation. Robert draws his inspiration from nature, the philosophy of life, ancient mythologies to modern mysticism, spiritual philosophies, and mystical places. He transforms his inspiration into contemporary interpretations while richly referring to artists through all times of art history, such as Caspar David Friedrich, Anselm Kiefer, Joan Mitchell and the old masters. For Van de Graaf, the act of creation is...

Artwork