Man met blauwe hoed

by Peter Harskamp

Calm and tranquility. 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 been successful with it far beyond the national borders. Harskamp paints with a palette knife because it allows him to better depict the 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 strengthening. The style of Harskamp sometimes reminds one of Picasso. The artist himself believes that his work brushes against reality, even though that reality is stylized. He plays with bodily proportions.