Tijs Dragtsma (1992) - The Quieter Self
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The Quieter Self by Tijs Dragtsma (1992), 2026, mixed media on acrylic glass, original edition, 51 × 51 cm, black and white, sold with frame, in excellent condition and signed, produced in the Netherlands and sold direct from the artist.
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Description from the seller
A minimal contemporary artwork about the inner voice, duality and the self that speaks only in silence.
She is seen in profile, still and composed against a deep, unbroken darkness. Her form does not emerge through colour or line, but through the contrast that shapes her in light and depth. Look longer and a second presence appears, a smaller profile nested within her throat, as though the body holds another self inside it.
No paint was laid down. No print was applied. No ink marks the surface. The image is built entirely from absence, from depth that collects the light and returns it as form. What appears to the eye is not added but revealed, coaxed forward by contrast and the particular quality of the space around it.
From across the room, the work is monumental and quiet. A single silhouette against the dark, carrying a stillness that asks nothing. Step closer and the surface becomes a field of depth, each void holding its own weight, each shadow a considered absence.
The voice within us rarely speaks loudly. It lives in the held breath, the word shaped but not released, the thought that turns inward rather than out. "The Quieter Self" gives form to that interior presence, the self that shapes everything we say by remaining just below it.
As the light shifts and the viewer moves, the smaller profile appears and withdraws. At certain angles it nearly disappears, as though the inner voice has grown still. At others it returns with quiet insistence, unmistakably present within the larger form. The work does not hold still. It changes with the room, the hour, the eye that looks.
"The Quieter Self" continues the Art with Void series by Tijs Dragtsma, in which imagery is constructed through depth and absence rather than paint or print. A visual language where absence is not emptiness, but presence.
"Not what is said. What is held."
About Art with Void
Art with Void is a body of work in which the image is not built through addition. but revealed through absence.
From a distance. the image is unmistakable. Strong. clear and immediately present. Yet up close. the work transforms. The viewer discovers a surface composed of precisely carved micro voids in high quality acrylic glass. What seemed whole and still from afar becomes detailed. delicate and deeply structured.
Light is essential to the work. In daylight. reflections shift and the image changes subtly with its environment. In darkness. under a focused spotlight. the acrylic glass comes fully alive. Depth intensifies. reflections sharpen. and the image takes on an almost magical presence.
This interplay between distance and proximity. image and structure. stillness and transformation lies at the heart of Art with Void. It is a visual language built on reduction. yet rich in atmosphere. precision and presence.
About the Artist
My name is Tijs Dragtsma, founder of TD Fine Art Studio.
As an artist, I am driven by a constant desire to explore new visual languages. I do not see art as a fixed style, but as an evolving field of discovery where material, structure, light and emotion come together.
My work often begins with a simple question. How can a material speak in a new way. How can hardness become intimacy. How can precision create emotion. That search lies at the heart of everything I create.
Within TD Fine Art Studio, each body of work is approached as its own world, with its own logic, atmosphere and visual identity. Some works are built through rhythm, repetition and structure. Others emerge through absence, shadow, reflection or tension. What connects them is a shared commitment to originality, clarity and emotional presence.
I am fascinated by contrast. Between strength and fragility. Between control and feeling. Between what is visible and what is left open to interpretation. My goal is not simply to make an image, but to create a work that holds attention, invites reflection and continues to reveal itself over time.
TD Fine Art Studio is the space in which these explorations come together. It is not only a studio, but an evolving artistic universe shaped by curiosity, precision and the ambition to create work that feels distinctive, intentional and alive.
A minimal contemporary artwork about the inner voice, duality and the self that speaks only in silence.
She is seen in profile, still and composed against a deep, unbroken darkness. Her form does not emerge through colour or line, but through the contrast that shapes her in light and depth. Look longer and a second presence appears, a smaller profile nested within her throat, as though the body holds another self inside it.
No paint was laid down. No print was applied. No ink marks the surface. The image is built entirely from absence, from depth that collects the light and returns it as form. What appears to the eye is not added but revealed, coaxed forward by contrast and the particular quality of the space around it.
From across the room, the work is monumental and quiet. A single silhouette against the dark, carrying a stillness that asks nothing. Step closer and the surface becomes a field of depth, each void holding its own weight, each shadow a considered absence.
The voice within us rarely speaks loudly. It lives in the held breath, the word shaped but not released, the thought that turns inward rather than out. "The Quieter Self" gives form to that interior presence, the self that shapes everything we say by remaining just below it.
As the light shifts and the viewer moves, the smaller profile appears and withdraws. At certain angles it nearly disappears, as though the inner voice has grown still. At others it returns with quiet insistence, unmistakably present within the larger form. The work does not hold still. It changes with the room, the hour, the eye that looks.
"The Quieter Self" continues the Art with Void series by Tijs Dragtsma, in which imagery is constructed through depth and absence rather than paint or print. A visual language where absence is not emptiness, but presence.
"Not what is said. What is held."
About Art with Void
Art with Void is a body of work in which the image is not built through addition. but revealed through absence.
From a distance. the image is unmistakable. Strong. clear and immediately present. Yet up close. the work transforms. The viewer discovers a surface composed of precisely carved micro voids in high quality acrylic glass. What seemed whole and still from afar becomes detailed. delicate and deeply structured.
Light is essential to the work. In daylight. reflections shift and the image changes subtly with its environment. In darkness. under a focused spotlight. the acrylic glass comes fully alive. Depth intensifies. reflections sharpen. and the image takes on an almost magical presence.
This interplay between distance and proximity. image and structure. stillness and transformation lies at the heart of Art with Void. It is a visual language built on reduction. yet rich in atmosphere. precision and presence.
About the Artist
My name is Tijs Dragtsma, founder of TD Fine Art Studio.
As an artist, I am driven by a constant desire to explore new visual languages. I do not see art as a fixed style, but as an evolving field of discovery where material, structure, light and emotion come together.
My work often begins with a simple question. How can a material speak in a new way. How can hardness become intimacy. How can precision create emotion. That search lies at the heart of everything I create.
Within TD Fine Art Studio, each body of work is approached as its own world, with its own logic, atmosphere and visual identity. Some works are built through rhythm, repetition and structure. Others emerge through absence, shadow, reflection or tension. What connects them is a shared commitment to originality, clarity and emotional presence.
I am fascinated by contrast. Between strength and fragility. Between control and feeling. Between what is visible and what is left open to interpretation. My goal is not simply to make an image, but to create a work that holds attention, invites reflection and continues to reveal itself over time.
TD Fine Art Studio is the space in which these explorations come together. It is not only a studio, but an evolving artistic universe shaped by curiosity, precision and the ambition to create work that feels distinctive, intentional and alive.
Details
Artist
Tijs Dragtsma (1992)
Sold with frame
Yes
Sold by
Direct from the artist
Edition
Original
Title of artwork
The Quieter Self
Technique
Mixed media
Signature
Signed
Country of origin
Netherlands
Year
2026
Condition
Excellent condition
Colour
Black, White
Height
51 cm
Width
51 cm
Style
Contemporary
Period
2020+
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