Alexander van gerven - Stille Ontmoeting

Silent Encounter
Acrylic painting on panel 120x70 - 2025

In this portrait I wanted to capture a moment of calm and presence. She looks you straight in the eye, creating almost by itself a kind of contact between the painting/her and the viewer. By keeping the background calm, the attention shifts to her gaze, her posture and the small nuances in the face. The soft skin tones stand in contrast to the tougher texture of the denim jeans. In my work I am often searching for that point where vulnerability and strength meet.

Shipping:
As an artist I prefer to deliver my work personally. This personal delivery is completely free of charge for the buyer and always arranged in consultation. Other options are of course open for discussion. I think it is important to meet the buyers of my work in person as well.

about me:
I am Alexander, a portrait artist, and I work with acrylic paint on panel. In my paintings the human face is central, and especially the female face. There I find a wealth of emotion, vulnerability and strength that continues to fascinate me.

As an autistic artist I often experience the world analytically, structurally and intensely. Emotions can sometimes be difficult to place or understand in daily life. That is precisely why I paint portraits. Painting helps me make visible feeling, tension and human vulnerability.

In the portrait of a woman I search for the subtle layers of emotion that often remain unspoken: a look, a silence, a moment of introspection. With acrylic paint I work in layers of color, light and expressive brushstrokes to make that inner world tangible. Similarity is not always the ultimate goal for me; more important is that a portrait makes you feel something.

My work arises from the tension between analysis and emotion. From an analytical way of looking, I try to understand and visualize the emotional world of a face. Painting is for me a way to bring those two worlds together.