The painting process.

Being unencumbered by any knowledge of the subject, I walked my own path. And who could be a better teacher than the grand masters themselves, meaning Rembrandt and Vermeer. With some practice I learned what it takes to make a somewhat similar copy. Below are two exercises next to the originals.

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Moving on to my own work, involves a solid color knowledge and endless exercise in expressionskills, the craft can only be learned by getting more and more experience.

 

The tronie itself I build up cautiously and slowly. First the exact measurements on smooth linen. Then the darker parts become darker, the lighter parts lighter and the details sharper. In between, you try to find the harmony between all the colors, which is why I build it up slowly, until the moment the brain says: "it is more a person than a picture".

 

Then I put on some music that suits this person and have a good conversation with him or her, while in the meantime I endlessly adjust everything that bothers me. If the person is alive and can wink that it is all right, then I repaint all the reflection from an imaginary spotlight, making it look like a lamp is shining on it.

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It all depends on the person how I work: I scratch, polish, mix, wipe, stir, etc.

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This all seems straightforward, sometimes it is, some tronies are there in a few hours, but others remain hopeless until after months you find out what you didn't see all the time. But the most difficult painting eventually become the best and the most instructive.