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by Peter Harskamp

Calm and stillness. That is what the paintings of Peter Harskamp radiate. It is a kind of looking inward; a theme of people and animals in subdued atmospheres. He has achieved success with it far beyond the national borders. Harskamp paints with a palette knife because it allows him to better depict geometric shapes. He has developed his own technique with which he rubs paint into paint so that the surface remains very flat and smooth. Layer by layer; applying paint, scraping, rubbing, leaving out, and making stronger. The style of Harskamp sometimes reminds one of Picasso. The artist himself feels that his work brushes against reality, even though that reality is stylized. He plays with bodily proportions.