Man with ponytail Painting

Bastiaen Vries is a painter based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, who specializes in creating portraits. In 2023, Bastiaen was selected to participate in the London Art Biennale, where he won the Chianciano Museum Award. In 2022, he joined and won the Dutch TV-program ‘Sterren op het Doek’(Stars on Canvas) in the episode featuring Rob Kemps as star. Bastiaen was chosen among the top 10 artists in the ‘Painting of the Year 2022’ competition. Furthermore, he was selected by the Dutch Portrait Prize Foundation’s jury to participate in the Dutch biennial ‘Weekend of the Portrait’. Bastiaen has been working as a head designer in the fashion industry for years, and his artistic roots can be traced back to his studies at the Amsterdam Fashion Academy. During his time there, he refined his drawing skills and developed a special fondness for model drawing and art. Bastiaen draws inspiration from his great-grandfather, who painted until his late nineties, creating both landscapes and portraits. His mother, despite a busy life raising two children and working, also inspired him through her own drawings and paintings. Additionally, Bastiaen actively contributes to the Marline Fritzius Foundation, where he finds fulfillment in coaching people with aphasia in artistic expression as painting, drawing, and sculpting. Witnessing their creativity, despite their physical challenges, provides him with profound insights into the unpredictability and complexity of life. Furthermore he gives portrait painting workshops weekly. ARTIST STATEMENT Painting portraits is an endless source of inspiration. Each human face has its own unique story, an entire universe of emotions waiting to be deciphered: strength, pain, joy, love, and an array of other emotions. I describe my artistic style as ‘Human Realism’. It is about creating portraits that breathe with emotion and depth, portraits that possess a soul. My aim is to capture not just the physical likeness of the person, but to search deeper, portraying their inner strength and vulnerability, encapsulating their essence, and immortalizing their presence on canvas. I want the viewer to perceive real people, real characters. My preferred medium is oil paint on Belgian linen canvas.