Art & Culture

Contemporary surrealism |

Gallery Persoon

Above: The Jester, 40 x 50 cm, oil on canvas ©Caroline Westerhout

Left: Patchwork People, 76 x 76 cm, oil on canvas ©Caroline Westerhout

Below: Jimmy©Miriam Meulepas

Caroline Westerhout’s oil portraits are so lifelike that her characters appear to be real people, not fictitious. Although they are loosely based on reality – esterhout often looks at her own face in the mirror – there are few existing persons to be discovered in her free work. She fully masters the techni ue of photo-realistic painting, but also dares to let go by covering large parts of her paintings with colour. By assembling various separate body parts into an alienating composition, the whole is abstracted in a way that is sometimes reminiscent of Francis Bacon, while retaining esterhout’s characteristic style and atmosphere. In order to capture the transparency of the human skin, esterhout uses a broad and idiosyncratic colour palette, but in the paintings’ textures she completely foregoes the realistic aspect. The most essential parts of the human being are always painted to perfection. This can be seen, for example, in shiny, veined eyes that express a soul, and fleshy, warm lips.

Miriam Meulepas

ulnerable, forgotten people with physical and mental health conditions are often the subject of Miriam Meulepas’ hyperrealistic sculptures. She shows us a confrontational and sometimes unpleasant reality, in which transience and psychological disorders play a role. Animal instincts in humans are given shape and context in her work. The pursuit of purity touches the edge of what is still comfortable. Her work raises uestions who are these people, what situation are they in and why The old skin of the sculptures looks vulnerable and transparent. Every detail is lifelike pigment spots, scars, hairs, wrinkles. In some sculptures the emphasis is specifically on the skin. She also makes bags and shoes from human leather, which, due to their absurdity, both attract and repel. For those who don’t shy away from confrontation and have a healthy dose of black humor, this is a great experience.

2 February – 16 March 2022 Gallery Persoon Hees 4d 5521NV Eersel www.galeriepersoon.com