Watercolours
Jeroen Krabbé: “In the course of my studies at the National Academy of Fine Art I learned to look carefully at the genesis of an art work. Is the composition right? Where do I place accents? Being precise, that’s what it’s all about. My early ‘en plein air water colours in Italy, Morocco and Southern France would form the prelude for my later – and favourite – theme: the landscape. In fact, few of the works in oils have been painted on location. When I’m working outdoors, I paint water colours and store my impressions of further images of the site in my head. After returning to my studio in Amsterdam the majority of my oil paintings are ‘born’ at a later stage.”
Oil Paintings
The successful pursuit of harmony between the use of colour and the composition is evident in Jeroen Krabbé’s paintings. This gives the viewer plenty of room for own interpretation of his oeuvre. Broader brushes and a palette knife constitute the tools of the painter. As Jeroen Krabbé states: “I am concerned with the ‘skin’ of the painting. In feel that combining thickly applied paint with leaving other areas practically bare provides an extra dimension.” His – often sun-drenched – landscapes in intense but ravishingly bright tones of colour are a recording of events and impressions, in combination with Krabbe’s personal perception of the environment.
Mixed Media
Jeroen Krabbé recalls: “Ever since my early childhood, I have been drawing in pencil, ink and other materials. A drawing in charcoal on the canvas often forms a foundation for an oil painting. In my art works I occasionally use mixed media; such as a combination of mixed oils and collage of different materials including a cut paper, tree bark, raw cloth or even gold leaf.” The incidental application of other materials causes the art work to have a collage-like character creating unusual effects.