"In-Between" Painting

Rick Fraterman is a contemporary Dutch artist known for his vibrant, figurative paintings, detailed architectural models, drawings, and small objects. His creative process involves blending imagery from diverse sources, including stock photo websites, social media, magazines, cartoons, and movie scenes. Through these, he creates visually captivating works that merge humor and social commentary, often exploring themes related to the human condition and the fleeting nature of life.

Rick’s work examines the social realities we experience between birth and death, touching on the daily struggles to find peace, balance, and fulfillment. By using popular and familiar imagery, he crafts accessible visual narratives that connect instantly with viewers.

His works are characterized by bright colors, cartoonish compositions, and a fragmented, symbol-rich style that, while optimistic and playful, subtly critiques society's focus on consumerism and unending desire.

Rick is notably inspired by the “Narrative Figuration” movement that emerged in 1960s France as a reaction against abstraction and consumerism. This movement emphasized figurative art with strong social messages, focusing on everyday life, realism, and storytelling.

He feels that society’s obsession with desire remains unchanged, and his work embodies this view by blending narrative art with humor and color, offering both an engaging visual experience and a thoughtful critique on the human tendency toward unending consumption.