La vie en rose 1 Print

Barbara Houwers is a Dutch artist, working as a painter and sculptor. She lives and works in the Amsterdam region. Her successful series inspired by themes around the human being have led to many exhibitions and commissions from companies, government and institutions. Barbara’s works can be found both in private and corporate collections and public buildings. Biography Barbara Houwers 25 years as an artist. By Diana Kostman M.A. Artist Barbara Houwers above all became known for her paintings of human figures, mostly painted in subdued earth tones, followed later by more abstract works of art set up in geometrical patterns and sometimes in bright colours as well. More recently three- dimensional works have been created as well as objects designed by 3Dprint technology. This seem a significant breach of style but, as is the case with many artists, this is actually a logical development of Houwers’ basic forms. The human figure dominates Barbara Houwers’ oeuvre. This was already the case in her early autonomous works when she debuted in the early 1990s after her training at the HKU Academy. In her paintings from that period we see mainly stylised and isolated human figures. By combining the human figure with forms and colours, a life-story evolves in which emotions and experiences from that life are expressed. Throughout the 1990s this theme was developed further by adding more human figures to the composition, thereby creating a sense of connection and communication amongst the figures. These works evoke a strong sense of recognition with the viewer. Houwers’ technique widened from traditional painting to a more experimental use of her material. The paintbrush was partly exchanged for a palette knife and next to paint other forms of material were introduced such as sand and synthetic resin. This experimental approach to her material also re-appeared in a series of artworks Houwers was working on at the beginning of the millennium and in which the aspect of space was the dominating factor. In these artworks the human figure was combined with an ‘open’ space, built up from layers of paint, sand and resin. The contemplative element in these works was emphasized by its open character. It literally created space for contemplation. The first steps towards geometry already appeared in the luggage series of 2007 where small cases were added to the human figures as metaphor for experiences gained during the journey of life.