Anne-Rixt Kuik

Anne-Rixt Kuik (1987) tells a story in her paintings. "The story of emotion. You can touch people with that. That is my goal. I try to capture moments of happiness and seriousness in one image. And I play with the paint skin. With my epoxy works I try to show the layering of my models. I want to show their complexity. Their strength, beauty, but also fragility. If you look closely at someone's appearance you will see the person behind it. I want to literally break open that skin."

Anne-Rixt Kuik's paintings are made up of many layers of paint, mounted in transparent layers of epoxy. As a result, her work has a strong three-dimensional character, which unfortunately cannot be captured on photo and only reveals itself to you live.

Currently Anne-Rixt is experimenting with epoxy, combining techniques such as fresco, alla prima and layered painting. Some paintings are set up in 8 layers. She pushes and pulls pigments and paint through the epoxy layer. "You then have no control over the outcome. I'm quite a control freak and it's a challenge to let go. You must first learn technology before you can let go. In theory I control all techniques, but now I give my own interpretation."

Anne-Rixt Kuik paints portraits without a recognizable background. "So much happens to me in a head, that fold in the skin, those eyes. Every minute I spend on a piece is one minute too much. If I do that then there is less love in the painting and that breaks the image. That was not always understood at the academy. Then I was asked: Why do you only paint the face? If you remove the material, only man and his emotion remain. Moreover, you tell the strongest story by deleting those things that do not affect you. If you only choose the moments that do affect you, you are the most honest as a painter."

(text from the Alumni portraits of the Classical Academy)

Anne-Rixt Kuik (1987) studied at the Classical Academy and the Florence Academy of Art to learn the techniques of classical figurative painting. She also attended master classes with artists Sam Drukker, Henk Helmantel and Jeremy Lipking. She also studied in Brisbane, Australia to further develop her own technique. Once back in the Netherlands, she worked on her series that shows a surprising and unique combination of fresco technique, layering and alla fine. In both her portraits and free work, Anne-Rixt Kuik focuses on people in all their individuality, fragility and beauty.

In the winter of 2018, Anne-Rixt Kuik was invited by the state of New South Wales, Australia to work as an artist in Sydney for three months.