Jan de Beus, Claudja I, oil on canvas, 30 x 23 cm. Signed verso. 2003

Jan de Beus, painter between figuration and abstraction

The Muiderberg artist Jan de Beus needs no long introduction. In the 1980s he belonged to the Neue Wilden, an art movement supported mainly by German artists, but to which some Dutch artists also connected. After his period with the Neue Wilden, he developed a style all his own. He himself states, "I am a classical painter. His art shows a continuation of old art traditions. He painted subjects such as landscapes, portraits and nudes, some of which were derived from old art historical themes. For example, he created series of landscapes and cityscapes with subjects such as Muiderberg, Berlin, Canterbury Cathedral or St. Andrew's Church in Katwijk. His pasty and organic way of working give his paintings a completely unique identity. But he also made paintings derived from biblical themes such as the crucifixion of Christ, paintings in which the viewer is confronted in a penetrating way with the suffering