Art Competition: My version of a Matisse painting

I participated in an art competition. 🫣

Here in the Netherlands, there is a famous actor named Jeroen Krabbé. However, he is also known for his interest in art. His dad was a painter. He paints. And his son Jasper Krabbé is also a painter.

Every year—or so—he makes a TV documentary about an artist of his interest. It’s called “Krabbé zoekt….” (Krabbé looking for…).

https://npo.nl/start/serie/krabbe-zoekt

In his series, he follows the footsteps of an artist of his interest. All in mind to get to know the artist, and the person behind the artist. Where did they grow up, what inspired them, and what drove them to paint certain subjects?

What I love about his TV series is that Jeroen Krabbé does tons of research. He reads many books, goes to museums, and travels to the same places that the artist went.

Previously, he made episodes about Van Gogh, Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Chagall, Gauguin, and his latest is about Matisse. The final one aired last Sunday.

Part of this Matisse series was a competition: Make your own version of a Matisse artwork. And since I am a big fan of his show, I had to participate.

Every episode I watched, I was thinking about what to paint. And then in episode 6, it struck me. One of Matisse’s most important journeys was when he went to Morocco, Tangier. He then started painting more loosely and used vivid colors. The weather then wasn’t all that good. It poured all the time. And so he was “locked up” in his hotel room, overlooking the scenery of Tangier.

This made me think of painting a scene of his hotel room. But then with a combination of items he then used and painting his paintings within this painting. So a painting in a painting.

So I started browsing multiple paintings of Matisse online and in books. And finally, I chose these:

Roman van Gelder - Art Competition - Looking for matisse - Painting - Window at Tangier
Matisse
Window at Tangier. 1912.
Matisse
Still Life with Oranges. 1913.
Matisse
Interior with a Violin Case. 1918.

And this is my version and entry for the competition

Roman van Gelder - Art Competition - Looking for matisse - Painting - 1

I probably won’t win, but these kinds of competitions give me a lot of joy. Because it allows me to experiment and paint in a different style. More freely and loosely than how I usually paint.

I hope this inspires you too, to reflect, to experiment, and to learn from the old masters.

Wishing you a prosperous, healthy, and creative 2025!

Cheers, Roman

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