The works of Bert Vredegoor can best be described as 'contemporary icons'. They are quiet meditative sources of power. Objects of attention and devotion. A painting by Bert Vredegoor is sparse, but not poor. In fact, viewed up close, the image reveals a rich structure. Layer after layer of paint is built up and scraped off. The painter's concentration on his work manifests itself as a purification process. Again and again a work is assessed, what is too much is removed, then a new layer is added. Bert Vredegoor searches for the optimal balance between richness and austerity, between tone and color, between rhythm and melody. Titles of works, such as "See the Moon," "The Trees," and "Bare Sky," indicate the spectrum within which Bert Vredegoor moves as a visual artist. It is the terrain of the associative, the intuitive, the archetypal, the religious and the mythical. To explore this terrain he uses a highly original visual language that is whimsical, decorative, geometric, ornamental, direct and sign-like in character. Sometimes Bert Vredegoor uses ancient symbols with mythical meanings to give a work a certain interpretation and make it clear to the viewer.