BIOGRAPHY

Rene Tweehuysen is born in Utrecht in 1957.
From a very young age he knows he wants to be a painter. He regularly visits museums with his parents.

Going back to his earliest childhood memories he remembers the paintings of Moesman and Pyke Koch. Their work has nestled deep into his genes. Later, amongst others, Rembrandt and Vermeer, as well as Mondriaan and Mark Rothko leave a deep impression on him.

Study

From 1978 until 1983 he studies at the Akademie voor Beeldende Kunsten ARTIBUS in Utrecht. After this, the Tweehuysian style slowly develops.

Over a period of three years he intensively studies 16th and 17th century painters' manuscripts. He starts painting people in a stylised setting.

Portraits

Instead of painting his subjects in a narrow classical closed fond, he places the model in front of interiors with windows and landscapes. This way he opens up space, while at the same time enabling himself to work on the composition as a whole.

The partially clouded skyline often seen in his paintings literally gives the work air. The strong interaction between model and background gives his portraits a somewhat magical effect.

Landscapes

As well as portraits, the landscape painting brings variation into the work. The impressive Bildtse landscape and the nearby mudflats are important sources of inspiration.

What can't be ignored in het Bildt, is what you can see above the horizon. The beauty of the light and dramatic layers of clouds in an endless sky are important features in the landscapes. In this way, Tweehuysen's paintings can been seen to take on an element of Magical Realism.

Exhibitions

In 1994 Tweehuysen exhibits a series of portraits for the first time in galerie Mokum. This was all free work. Since that time not a lot has changed except for the fact that his subjects now commission his work. The artist's work is also represented by the Portretwinkel in Utrecht.

Northern Realism in Oudebildtzijl

After having happily lived in Utrecht for more than 40 years, Rene Tweehuysen moves to a quieter place in the northernmost part of the country. Since 1999 the artist and his family live in the Frisian village of Oudebildtzijl. Where the "Northern Realism" is flourishing.