Biography Wilfried van den Boorn
Wilfried van den Boorn (Venray 1951) has been working as a professional artist and painter for more than 45 years. In the years after finishing his studies at the Academy of Arts St. Joost in Breda and the Royal Academy for Visual Arts & Design in 's Hertogenbosch, he has dedicated himself to the exploration of different approaches to the art of realistic painting. Already in an early stage of his career he chose for the movement of Realism in painting. Over the years he has mastered the various aspects of realistic painting such as the rendering of textures, composition, and the technical structure of a painting.
He started his career with a surrealistic approach to the observable world, using the work of painters such as Hieronymus Bosch, René Margritte, Salvador Dali, de Chirico and others as a guide to his own interpretation. Dutch Magic Realism painters such as Carel Willink, Moesman, Pyke Koch and Dick Ket who were typical for the 1930's in the Netherlands also influenced the character of his work. During the eighties of the last century he was taken to a much more sober form of realism, followed by a period in which his paintings reflected a possible but not very likely reality. At the beginning of the new century still-life became his major subject.
Still-life as a subject had its golden age in the Netherlands during the 17th century with painters as Jan Breughel the Elder, Daniel Seghers, Jan Davidsz de Heem, Abraham Mignon, Willem Kalf, Jan van Huysem and others. During this period and in this genre a few women also managed to attain international fame with their work. Women such as Clara Peters, Maria van Oosterwijck and Rachel Ruysch made a significant contribution.
After this period of bloom artists kept on developing and innovating the still-life as a genre. Nowadays painters like Rob Mohlmann, Henk Helmantel, Anneke van Brussel, Frans Klercks, Aad Hofman, Bernard Verkaaik and others are part of the group of artists who each give their own interpretation to still-life painting. Wilfried van den Boorn managed to attain a place within this group of contemporary realists. His work, appreciated for its personal vision demonstrates craftsmanship and is characterized by its refinement, balance and attention to detail and textures. The labour intensive method using both proven and newly developed techniques and materials results in a precise and balanced body of work.
