Maastricht (Mestreech) is the capital of the Dutch province of Limburg and has 120,837 inhabitants (Jan. 31, 2022, source: CBS). This makes it the largest municipality in the province of Limburg.
Maastricht originated at a ford in the Meuse River, from which it got its name (Maastricht = Mosa Trajectum = passage through the Meuse). Maastricht has been inhabited continuously for two thousand years. The city has a long and eventful history, to which the numerous historic buildings and art treasures in churches and museums testify. Internationally, the city gained great fame through the Maastricht Treaty (1992), which created the European Union in its present form and paved the way for the introduction of the euro as the European currency.
The city is often seen as "foreign" in the rest of the Netherlands, mainly because of its peripheral location close to Belgium and Germany, but also because of its atypical landscape, Maasland house construction, different history, complicated language situation, dominance of Catholicism (formerly more so than now), strong emphasis on community life (brass bands, carnival, processions) and alleged Burgundian lifestyle.
I made this work during a rainy weekend. Glum but stately colors in browns, greens and beiges. A beautiful moody work showing the Saint Servatius Bridge and the houses on the right bank, in Wyck.
Contemporary images and even those from the past inspire me to recycle them for re-actionary contemporary impressionist art. My drawings and paintings are sketch impressions in a loose and free style, the paintings in a colorful palette. I also produce collages and digital artworks or find new inspirations and.. Read more…