Philine van der Vegte
Katwoude
I paint what I see, mostly from life. My work is loose and realistic . Subjects are close to me and my farm; people around me, animals and Dutch landscapes.
Message
Philine van der Vegte (The Netherlands, 1970) is a contemporary figurative artist, whose mediums include oil painting, drawing in charcoal and ink and printing techniques such as etching and monotype. Her subjects are found close to her studio on a farm just north of Amsterdam, and include animals, portraits and landscapes, with a focus on the relationship between humans and agricultural animals.
Philine had solo exhibitions at Waterlandsmuseum De Speeltoren, De Boterhal and Museum Jan Boon, and showed her work in group exhibitions at Museum Staal in Almen, Museum Nairac and at Museum Zandvoort.
She has also participated in several group shows at Galerie Mokum in Amsterdam, including the art fairs PAN Amsterdam, Kunstrai, Art on Paper and the Affordable Art Fair.
Philine is an artist member of Arti&Amicitiae, curated exhibitions at De Boterhal and is chairman at De Waterlandse Kunstkring.
She received a grant from the Gerbrandy Fonds to study sightsize portraiture at Sarum Studio in Salisbury and was juried into the Summer Exhibition 2018 and Climate Expo 2022 at Museum De Fundatie, as well as “Lang leve Rembrandt” at the Rijksmuseum in 2019.
Philine’s work has been featured on Dutch national TV in Gezonken Meesters, Sterren op het doek (Omroep Max) and in the UK drama series Golddigger (BBC).
She graduated from Wackers Academy Amsterdam in 2019 and teaches occasionally.
Statement
I paint in animals, landscapes and people in oils, and paint and draw from life as much as possible. The best place for me to be is in a sunny field, surrounded by cows trying to eat my sketchbook. But the light on a landcape changes, and animals move around when you draw them, so speed is essential. I enjoy the thrill of occasionally getting it right in one go, though the visible search for the right shapes is also part of the work. The brushstroke is essential in my paintings and my eternal aim is to bring the freshness of my quick life drawings into the larger studio works.
All my life, I have had a soft spot for small-scale farming. As a child, I dreamed of living in a little house on the prairie, and nowadays I actually keep a vegetable garden, chickens, and sheep. My paintings are increasingly focused on farmyard animals, especially the old breeds. They have a long-standing cultural connection with humans, and are usually kept in an extensive and natural way - the way it should be. There is something about the warm, grounded presence of cattle, horses and sheep that makes me feel safe and stop worrying.