Peter Van Berkel
Peter Van Berkel is an artist in the true sense of the word. His paintings seem to have been created with natural ease. This impression of naturalness that radiates from his canvases, however, is misleading. Every brush stroke is where it should be; there is no detail that could be left out without disturbing the harmony. This is the hidden strength of his work.
At a very early age, Peter Van Berkel (1956, Rotterdam) already knew that he would devote himself to painting. His talent manifested itself when he was very young and at the age of 14, he did his first oil painting. His half-brother, Jan Hovener, a painter also, taught him the principals of painting. Peter decided not to go to an art school, but to perfect his skills in practice. He started painting passionately, but he learned most from just looking at the world around him. When traveling with Jan and Jan’s family through former Yugoslavia, Peter learned more about painting than could be taught in any art school, just by watching his brother, who painted whatever view or object he liked.
At the age of 18, Peter and his girlfriend, Elly Geys, left Rotterdam for Wemeldinge in Zeeland. They moved into a house in the county. The quiet left in the little village in Zeeland was quite different from the big city life of Rotterdam. When he got to know the villagers, Peter learned there were several well-known artists among them. He was introduced to Lodewijk, Bruckman, Fans van der Heide, Henny De Korte and Rein Slevers. Fans van der Heide was his neighbor and Peter accompanied Frans on a trip to Spain. (Rein Slevers also supported the up-and-coming artist with valuable advice). On his various travels abroad, Peter Van Berkel used to spend hours and hours in museums, studying the work of the impressionist masters he loved and admired so much. His efforts have proved to be fruitful. He has not only grown into an artist of great expertise, but he can also pride himself on a very personal factor.
In 1976, Peter and Elly got married and two years later their first child was born. Peter was working on oyster ponds, mussel fishing and around old harbors that took his breath away. It wasn’t long before he took his easel to the harbor to pain the old fishing boats and mussel processing factories. After a year, he had enough for his first exhibition in the old City Hall of Goes in December 1979. The exhibition was a great success and the rave reviews gave him the strength to continue painting, even though financially life was not easy at the time. Gradually, the dark colors in his Yerseke painting gave way to lighter tones. When he saw Monet’s Waterlilies in Paris and other artworks by the impressionists, his love of the colors of the School of the Hague receded into the background. On his travels through France, he noticed that a France landscape turns out to be much lighter than a Dutch one, a revelation that would have far reaching consequences for this artistic development.
In 1983, the Van Berkel family welcomed a baby daughter. This restricted the family from traveling and during this period of peace and quite the colors in Peter’s landscapes turned darker again. It was during this period that Peter started painting flower pieces and he took so much pleasure in this that for a whole year he did not paint anything else. Initially, he was fascinated by roses, but when Elly came home with a pot of hydrangeas that because his favorite painting subject. Especially the blue hues of the flowers, so difficult to capture in paint, kept him in their spell. In 1985, he rented a small studio in Goes. He started to paint his townscapes and views of the harbor and the city. Rein Sievers who, back in Holland after a long stay in the United States, taught Peter the fine skills of townscape painting. Unfortunately, Rein Sievers, a close friend opodied in 1994.
It was not long before Peter’s talent was recognized and his paintings found their ways to international art fairs in Europe, the United States and Japan. His exhibitions have met with rave reviews and his paintings are in high demand. Often his paintings are sold before the paint dries properly.
Peter and his family have traveled through France in the past few years where he was enchanted with the French landscape with its fields of full lavender, poppies and sunflowers.
Exhibitions:
(In June 1995, Peter van Berkel was invited by foundation “Trecher Vijf” to paint a townscape for Goes. The oil painting on panel, measuring 160 x 200 cms was acquired by the city of Goes.)
At a very early age, Peter Van Berkel (1956, Rotterdam) already knew that he would devote himself to painting. His talent manifested itself when he was very young and at the age of 14, he did his first oil painting. His half-brother, Jan Hovener, a painter also, taught him the principals of painting. Peter decided not to go to an art school, but to perfect his skills in practice. He started painting passionately, but he learned most from just looking at the world around him. When traveling with Jan and Jan’s family through former Yugoslavia, Peter learned more about painting than could be taught in any art school, just by watching his brother, who painted whatever view or object he liked.
At the age of 18, Peter and his girlfriend, Elly Geys, left Rotterdam for Wemeldinge in Zeeland. They moved into a house in the county. The quiet left in the little village in Zeeland was quite different from the big city life of Rotterdam. When he got to know the villagers, Peter learned there were several well-known artists among them. He was introduced to Lodewijk, Bruckman, Fans van der Heide, Henny De Korte and Rein Slevers. Fans van der Heide was his neighbor and Peter accompanied Frans on a trip to Spain. (Rein Slevers also supported the up-and-coming artist with valuable advice). On his various travels abroad, Peter Van Berkel used to spend hours and hours in museums, studying the work of the impressionist masters he loved and admired so much. His efforts have proved to be fruitful. He has not only grown into an artist of great expertise, but he can also pride himself on a very personal factor.
In 1976, Peter and Elly got married and two years later their first child was born. Peter was working on oyster ponds, mussel fishing and around old harbors that took his breath away. It wasn’t long before he took his easel to the harbor to pain the old fishing boats and mussel processing factories. After a year, he had enough for his first exhibition in the old City Hall of Goes in December 1979. The exhibition was a great success and the rave reviews gave him the strength to continue painting, even though financially life was not easy at the time. Gradually, the dark colors in his Yerseke painting gave way to lighter tones. When he saw Monet’s Waterlilies in Paris and other artworks by the impressionists, his love of the colors of the School of the Hague receded into the background. On his travels through France, he noticed that a France landscape turns out to be much lighter than a Dutch one, a revelation that would have far reaching consequences for this artistic development.
In 1983, the Van Berkel family welcomed a baby daughter. This restricted the family from traveling and during this period of peace and quite the colors in Peter’s landscapes turned darker again. It was during this period that Peter started painting flower pieces and he took so much pleasure in this that for a whole year he did not paint anything else. Initially, he was fascinated by roses, but when Elly came home with a pot of hydrangeas that because his favorite painting subject. Especially the blue hues of the flowers, so difficult to capture in paint, kept him in their spell. In 1985, he rented a small studio in Goes. He started to paint his townscapes and views of the harbor and the city. Rein Sievers who, back in Holland after a long stay in the United States, taught Peter the fine skills of townscape painting. Unfortunately, Rein Sievers, a close friend opodied in 1994.
It was not long before Peter’s talent was recognized and his paintings found their ways to international art fairs in Europe, the United States and Japan. His exhibitions have met with rave reviews and his paintings are in high demand. Often his paintings are sold before the paint dries properly.
Peter and his family have traveled through France in the past few years where he was enchanted with the French landscape with its fields of full lavender, poppies and sunflowers.
Exhibitions:
- 1979 - City Hall of Goes
- 1981 - De Zaete Yerseke
- 1982 - City Hall of Goes
- 1985 - Art gallery Mat Goes
- 1986 - City Hall of Goes
- 1987 - Art Fair Frankfurt
- 1988 - Goes, Art Expo New York
- 1990 - Art Expo New York; Art Fair Frankfurt and Munich
- 1991 - Traveling exhibition Japan
- 1992 - Art Expo New York-Chicago
- 1993 - Art Fair Frankfurt
- 1994 - Art Fair Frankfurt, New York
- 1995 - De Hefburg, Rotterdam
- 1997 - Art gallery A. de Vin, Heusden
- 1999 - De Horn Fine Arts Int. Serooskerke (Veere
- 1996 - 2000 - Various exhibitions in art fairs in New York,
Frankfurt and Florence
(In June 1995, Peter van Berkel was invited by foundation “Trecher Vijf” to paint a townscape for Goes. The oil painting on panel, measuring 160 x 200 cms was acquired by the city of Goes.)
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