Goffertpark in yellow Print

Laelia Engelsman was born in Amsterdam in 1962. She spent ten years in beautiful Den Haag and now lives in Nijmegen. After several classes in drawing and painting she attended art school for a short period of time. Now she follows her own path, semi self-taught and 100% certificate free. She was always fascinated by what the world looks like. Typically, she would be contemplating the mirroring of sun rays on waves in an Amsterdam canal while the rest of her company discussed serious matters. And so a dreamer, which has it’s advantages in the arts Often, she lets the materials she works with decide what the next image will be. Series of spontaneous sketches in pencil and ink bring forth their own dynamics in handwriting and create their own subjects. Sometimes these sketches are the basis for a painting. Sometimes cell phone pictures taken along the road serve as a point of departure for her loose and impressionist painting style. Her images find themselves at the crossing point of wonder and endearment. Of course, as a painter she is fascinated by light, shadows and rays of (sun)light , contrasts. The shadows that objects cast on all sorts of screens, such as buildings, streets and handheld boards, are especially captivating to her. Rather unfashionably she is always in search of beauty, aesthetics. Her art works do not comment the wrongs of the world, nor do they promote SDG’s. After studying social sciences for years, she knows how complicated such projects are and somehow she doesn’t see how she can combine beauty with injustice. Moreover, morality-free beauty should be kept alive, it offers escape and comfort, which is useful even – or especially – in times of need.