"An Image has the power to adapt its story to both viewer and time."

Jeroen van Bart

Paintings

Thinker

Logo Jeroen van Bart

Drawings

All Works

This painting is my most visceral work. It was born out of anger towards Putin, his war and the devastation we are now used to seeing every day in the news as another daily anecdote. I am usually very calm and controlled when holding a brush but during this painting I had troubles controlling my emotions. It was also very clear to me that we are witnessing an almost cartoon-like personification of evil; a true villain, a bully, an imperialist lunatic; he believes the world can and should be subjected to his will. 
 
 
Perhaps because he’s behind the cold-blooded murder of all passengers in flight MH17 and perhaps because I live in Europe and he has invaded one of our sovereign nations that it is impossible for me to continue doing something that we are all guilty of: looking the other way. Whether it is right or wrong to be affected by certain events more than others it still remains a reality. And my art is my reality. 
 
I am angry. Angry that a dictator in this day and age has become a household name. A name we are used to hearing about every day in the media; another news item, another headline, another celebrity. His name will continue to live on in the pages of history and when one is reading a book it is easy to forget what is behind every page. What lies behind this chapter in 2022? Is Putin today’s protagonist? I am sure he thinks so; his dream of restoring the glory of the Russian empire went from madness to reality one night in February 2022. 
 
 
However, when I look at the pages he is writing in our shared memory as humankind I fail to see his person. I see the people of Ukraine, their resilience, their fear, their desperation, their death and their hope. It reminds me of what I saw growing up in the Netherlands when I learnt about what happened when the Nazis invaded us. I see what I saw when my grandpa told me stories about the Second World War, how we suffered as a nation but also how we fought, how we failed, how we died and how we, in the end, lived on. 
 
 
 
How many times have we wondered about Nazi Germany and asked: how could they let this happen? Why didn’t anyone do anything? I can’t help but ask myself the same question today, every night while I watch the news: how can we let this happen? Why aren’t we doing anything? Before I can come up with an answer I find myself watching a news item about the weather; the poles are melting, our climate is changing and hundreds die because of flooding. There was also a Champions League match last night; wow, what a goal! Almost at minute 90. I check my phone to see the other results but I get distracted by a video of a puppy. He’s so cute; I’m sharing it with my wife and we both smile. It is easy to get lost scrolling through countless videos of puppies, memes and lush holiday pictures. 
 
 
It is, in fact, easier than ever to look the other way. 
 
 
60X80CM

The protagonist

For me just like for most, a normal day begins at sunrise and ends shortly after sunset. The same goes for materialism: its weight rises with your conscience but sets as you go to sleep. Dreaming is a wonderful state of mind where your brain digests all that you were faced with on that normal day. More often than most, I tend to over-dream during the day and delve in my overthinking while searching for the meaning of life. As I ponder, I feel my materialism rust away like the car in the painting and my body continues to deteriorate over time, watching sunrise become sunset while the true voice of my soul becomes louder. 
30X40CM

The Overthinker

In this painting I touch upon the duality of personas within an artist (the artist off and on stage) and whether it is possible or meaningful to separate art from artist. What makes art “wrong”? Is a song automatically “right” if everyone likes it? To what extent does the persona of an artist influence how well their art is perceived? Are you the one ultimately responsible for liking a creation despite the artist? And what does this say about you? In the famous case of Michael Jackson, is his music “wrong” because of what we know now? To what extent does the guilt we feel when listening to his songs affect the value of his art? Are we ultimately able to dissect the artist from the art? and should we?
 
 
Imagine yourself driving on a road-trip with the windows open and suddenly “Beat it” starts blasting on your radio, giving you the same goosebumps this song always does. Would you turn the radio off because you know you should? because it’s the right thing to do? or would you start singing your lungs out? And if you did, what rule would you be breaking?
 
 
When it comes to art, how much does our moral compass matter?
 
 
50X40CM

Psychosis of the collective voice

Children have an honest way of looking at life. They wear their hearts out in the open and hold the most magical expectations about the future. Adults, however, are much more cautious. Living their lives influenced by society, adults often act almost as if life were a one-way forward track with little to no control over its course. Direction comes fortuitously or after much hard work and dedication while society makes the big decisions for us. Nevertheless, the decisions we do control must be taken wisely for the course of time cannot be altered. The backwards clock is broken.
 
 
The world's invitation to play the game of individualism.
 
 
80X60CM

Individualism

Ben has been my dog since 2010, never did he forget to wag his tail when i entered the house. Ofcourse he has his grumpy moments, but never towards me. The loyalty and positivity of a dog is truly amazing.

Stuck between day and night. Why is the nighttime so full of inspiration and wonders, when the mornings are driven by survival mode. Roots are holding me from sleep thinking about the past day and the day to come, slowly being dragged into the infinite universe. 

Insomnia

Nowadays we are so used to looking at screens that even the aspect ratio of a TV will immediately steer our eyes in its direction. Screens capture our attention and this is extremely valuable; entire companies are built on capturing people’s attention as their business model. Yet what happens outside of our focus window is even more important. We only need to take a step back and look outside. Do you actually know what the aspect ratio of your focus window is?

Caught by the Window to the World

Nothing is as familiar as your own hand, completely in your control and you know how it works like nobody else on this planet. Some people create with their hands while others use them to go about their daily life. But really studying a hand makes you notice things you never saw before, there is such a rich palette of colour in the skin, there have always been skinfolds you weren't aware of and there is the influence of the ambiance that resonates on it’s reflection. Creating this piece, i got to know my hand so much better. The right amount of attention will do that and on the verge of patience and dedication the smallest nuances become clear. Hope this hand will lead the way from student to master one day.

This painting also found it’s way to a new home already.

The Hand of the Student

This painting i started as part of a school exercise. The tasks was to get inspiration from Dante's Devine Comedy and we were free to use our medium of choice and to paint or draw whatever we wanted as long as it tells a story inspired by Dante. This is my take on The Devine Comedy.

Still to be decided

Copy of Madonna of the meadow by Bellini. School exercise.  

Copy Madonna of the meadow

Lesson copy Rembrandt self portrait, original size.

Copy Rembrandt self portrait

“The Thinker” is a study that reflects on the search for a good composition, inspired by Rodin’s famous Thinker. The roots of the tree draw the eye into the painting and the atmospheric perspective creates depth together with the small reflection on the water. The thinker (or rather the overthinker) is pondering for so long that their body completely deteriorates in search of answers. Before this painting was finished it had already found an interested party, which resulted in the painting staying two-toned and finding a new home. 28X30CM

The Thinker

In life we are measured by what we do, what we have and who we know. Those with success will trust on the soft clouds to catch them when they fall. That is not the fate of the invisible man. The invisible man will fall through those clouds into lands unknown. Who pays attention to the invisible man?

Fall of the Invisible Man

Finding someone you are comfortable enough with to share your most intimate desires, thoughts and fears is the ultimate dream that many of us pursue. Strangely enough, only a few succeed in their lifelong endeavour. However, dreams are fragile; the smallest event can pop them, like a soap bubble floating out in the open. Dream on your own but be cautious. For dreams grow stronger as strength is in the numbers: together we can dream bigger and accomplish so much more. 40X60CM

Nurturing Dreams

When you look at clouds long enough it's inevitable to start making out some shapes in your mind. The human brain is hard-wired to recognize patterns and to take certain rules for granted. Gravity and human superiority are two of these rules. In this painting however, neither gravity nor human superiority apply. Despite clear traces of humanity, the animals are the ones in control. 80X120CM

Animal Domination in a Borderless World

In a time before telephones and the Internet, the Queen of Sheba heard stories about the great wisdom of a king far away. One can only imagine how stories traveled from one person to the next, changing ever so slightly with every new messenger. The Queen of Sheba was well aware of this possibility, but her curiosity got the better of her. What if these stories were true? What if the king’s wisdom was truly unparalleled? What then could they achieve together? She decided she had to know and so she embarked on a journey from Ethiopia to Israel with all of her riches packed on the backs of her many camels. However, with every new day in her journey she began to wonder whether she was chasing after a rumour, a whisper. Filled with a growing sense of doubt and before giving away all of her treasures, she came up with a clever way to test the wisdom of this king: he’d have to solve all of her riddles. In the painting you can see her riddles fly in the air as pieces of a puzzle as she moves through the desert; but beware: Ceci n'est pas Salomon. 
 
 
40X50CM

Queen Of Sheba

Everybody has hopes and dreams but some are more aware of this than others. At the end of the day, all we truly need is food and shelter. Yet some dream of money while others dream of companionship; regardless of our own aspirations, inequality is enforced by manipulated dreams. Somehow most of us have a nagging desire to be better, more successful or richer than our neighbours. But doesn't this craving just cause unnecessary stress, anger or frustration? and if you really think about it, who are the actual beneficiaries in this game? Your move.

In this painting the many poor and the few rich are engaging in a tense game of chess. Hint: Checkmate in 3 moves.
40X50CM

Revolution

Some love to surround themselves with as many people as possible while others rather keep all people out of their lives. Everyone has thoughts about the people they meet and some even make a bigger impression than most. It's fascinating how some connections establish themselves, such as the unlikely meeting between an astronaut and a woman sailing the clouds. He returns to Earth with a story she does not fully fathom while she contradicts his understanding of the laws of physics. However, as long as they share a common will to understand each other, they can indulge in the journey of the unknown! 100X80CM

A Million Ways to Meet

Escaping the Night Watch is one of my most personal pieces because it’s about my struggle to become a better painter. When I started this painting, oil paint was still relatively new to me. While looking at the works of other oil painters I could only focus on the things they did so much better than me. Could my work ever even come close to theirs? So I became very frustrated with my own progress. Painting should come from the heart and it should be a pleasant experience, right? But for painters there is no greatness without frustration. Today I accept and embrace frustration as an intrinsic part of my painting process, though I will always remain that young boy escaping the Night Watch. 80X100CM

Escaping the Night Watch

The book of Revelation holds much imagery about hope, doom scenarios and obscurity. Because of this enigmatic narrative, the imagination can fly out of control when trying to comprehend its true meaning. In this picture, two newlyweds are sitting on the Western Wall of Jerusalem, under a blood moon near two enigmatic trees. These newlyweds represent my view of the two witnesses when all hope is lost.

Two Witnesses

The battle between heart and mind. The heart wants to go everywhere and the mind can either slow it down or push it along. Being truly in sync is the ultimate goal. The background is Bali, as seen from Nusa Lembongan. The background style is inspired by one of my favorite painters, whom I had the pleasure to meet during one of my trips to Bali. 30X40CM

Who's driving

This is the sad story of a genie in an oil lamp. Her life consists of fulfilling 3 wishes for the lamp finder, but after using her powers she will slowly vanish into nothing. Her chances are few, as the commodity of riches is only a wish away for her lucky finder. Who would dare to give up on their wildest dreams to save a soul? And so this tale goes: as one man’s riches grow, another’s soul fades into darkness. 60X40CM

Last Chance to Be Free

A man got caught stealing bread to feed his starving family. He now awaits judgment as a gladiator, fighting for the masses' entertainment. In the dungeons, the thick iron bars are both safety and imprisonment. And although hopelessness creeps in as the sounds of the crowd grow deafening, he can’t help but think about the bread his family got to eat. It was all worth it, for he will always be remembered as a fighter. 24X30CM

Gladiator

On a warm summer evening a good bottle of wine makes an entrance. Being kept in a dark cellar for many years awaiting this moment to serve its purpose. The wine swirls in the glass releasing all the aromas, building anticipation for that first sip.40X30CM

Wine

My leftover paint i smear onto a blank canvas, and sometimes surprising things happen. This i one of those. 

Hiding in the shadow

Have you ever been so deep in your own thoughts that you briefly forgot where you were? Were you drifting away somewhere in space? How about actually exploring the universe? Will there be a time that someone will be shot into space so deep that he will never make it back? And what will he encounter in the great unknown? For a moment there, I got lost in my own thoughts. Just a spin of the brain. 24X30CM

Adventure of Exploring

Graffiti in Venice

Out of control. No matter how hard we try, we will never be able to steer time. Nevertheless, how we experience time is something we can control. Time can fly by or feel like an eternity based on what we do with it. So use it wisely. Make it count. Because in the end, we just never have enough of it. 30X24CM

Living Fast

The smell of a juicy barbeque, the vibrant red of fresh tomatoes and the golden silky taste of olive oil. Mykonos is a lovely island with incredible food, beautiful beaches and a great holiday vibe. This painting is the view from Kastro, one of the most photographed places on this Greek island. 30X24CM

Mykonos

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. 50X50CM

Proverbs 13.12

From dust we came and to dust we return. 50X50CM

The End

My very first painting. This matrix shows the good, the bad, the self healing and the self destruction and where I want to be. 30X30CM

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