Caroline Westerhout - Demeter

DEMETER - oil paint on canvas - varnished, matte - signed on back - unique work - 30 x 30 x 4 cm

The oeuvre of Caroline Westerhout mostly consists of portraits, but not in the traditional sense of the word. Although she is a fervent practitioner and enthusiast of classical painting techniques, she finds it exciting to embark on experimentation. This gives her work an unmistakably contemporary look. Figurative elements alternate with raw, abstract elements; she plays with distortion and perspective. Also regarding the paint surface, she finds it interesting to create a duality: refined, realistic parts of the face - eyes and mouths - in combination with coarse brushwork and strokes and less elaborated planes. Through this fusion of styles and techniques, movement, emotion and an intriguing estrangement arise.

With her work she invites the audience to participate in her analysis of emotions, as she feels and understands them. The viewer is drawn into this quest and finds the answers that suit him or her.

Her theme is timeless, and with her astonishing technical prowess her work has universal appeal. The penetrating eyes and the transparency of the human skin are painted so lifelike that the characters seem to come to life.