Following successful presentations in Miami, Chicago and New York, SmithDavidson Gallery is excited to open the cultural season with the latest solo presentation of Dutch artist Matthijs Scholten.
Presenting new works created by Scholten in his studio just outside Amsterdam and in Bali, Indonesia over the past two years, they clearly constitute a further evolvement of his work, yet the artist continues to stay true to his personal emotional experiences as the main source of inspiration. Including figurative elements such as flowers, animals and angels in his new body of work, Matthijs Scholten adds further components to his already layered paintings.
Constructivist elements and symbolism come together to form a uniquely ecognisable style; energetic and spontaneous brush strokes are complimented by impasto details and fine details culminating in recognisable forms. Scholten creates works with a naiveté reminiscent of CoBrA artists such as Karel Appel and Corneille, Street Art and Graffiti as well as referencing to popular culture.
The solo exhibition by Matthijs Scholten will be on view on both floors of the gallery's Amsterdam Zuid viewing spaces. You are welcome to join the public opening of the exhibition Angels & Demons this Fall in presence of the artist.
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New works on paper
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New works on canvas
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About the artist
"Painting calms me down. It allows me to let all the nonsense go.
I create whatever i feel like. Spontaneously, wild and colourful. Unstrained. The art is not in thinking, but in just doing it. If that succeeds, I am free."Matthijs Scholten describes his artistic inspiration as originating from the streets, from graffiti art and weathered elements of buildings. All of which serve as the impetus for his imaginative faces. Scholten's bold compositions largely focus on the striking eyes off his characters. Eyes that look at him, you, and out to the world.
The work of Matthijs Scholten is immediately recognizable as a ‘Scholten’ and difficult to classify in any particular style or school. He brings many, partly contrasting components together to create his own new, atypical visual language. Explosions arise from the depth of his psyche and this is his translation of the chaotic world around him. Constructivist elements and symbolism come together to form his very recognizable style.
Scholten’s work have been exhibited nationally, as well as internationally in Russia and Montenegro.
