Keimpe van der Kooi

Game of Shadows - original still life painting - contemporary art

2025

Keimpe van der Kooi “Making people happy and happy with my work, I think that's what I like the most”. Keimpe van der Kooi's colorful oil paintings have become an integral part of the contemporary art landscape. Since graduating from the Classical Academy of Groningen in 2010, Keimpe van der Kooi's most famous subject consists of colorful still lifes. In addition, he also knows how to find his way in the landscape and regularly paints models. Keimpe van der Kooi is winner of Dutch TV -show: 'Paint the Stars' where his portrait of a Dutch TV--host was chosen by her to take home. Together with a very successful graduation-show the start of a successful and colorful career as a painter. Each painting is a refined composition of bright or greyed, cool and warm, contrasting and mutually reinforcing colours, in dark and light tones. Shiny pots, shiny bowls, colorful and dull rugs, fresh flowers and sparkling sunlight, spring and a beautiful day outside, a figure or landscape in the radiant sun. Everything arranged 'as if in a coincidental composition', the artist offers the viewers above all 'a spectacle of light, colour, contrast and relationships'. To be able to do this as strongly as possible, Keimpe van der Kooi works 'after life'. This means that he has the still life in front of him while sitting at his easel. Illuminated by a window with light from outside, or the model 'posing in the light', the landscape as it presents itself where the donkey is placed. The artist about this: “When a still life, model or landscape can actually be seen in front of me, only then do I see all the colours, really.”