Pealed lemon on a plate

Ten years ago, painter and illustrator Vincent Bakkum returned to the Netherlands after living in Helsinki for almost thirty years. Bakkum’s tools are still canvas, paint and brushes, as he has not adopted the digital media that are now used for illustration. But he has not given up his role as an illustrator. On the contrary, his works have become even more decorative. Aesthetics is a source of inspiration for him. A former gallerist once told Bakkum that he shouldn’t tell people that his paintings have nothing to say. After all these years, he is still convinced that he has nothing to say. The only ‘depth’ in Bakkum’s paintings is beauty, a qualifier that is considered rather hackneyed in the art world.

The self-taught Bakkum has received his greatest compliments from an art critic who wrote: “You can tell from the works that Bakkum has not studied art, but his lack of guidance is not evident in the paintings, which have a strong enough voice anyway”.

“I find inspiration everywhere, from the markets of Barcelona to the details of postcards. I believe that beauty comes from the experiences of youth. You spend the rest of your life searching for the visual home of your youth, for the comfort it brings”.