Christiaan Lieverse

Humankind and psyche are ever present themes in Christiaan Lieverse´s figurative work. His paintings seek to captivate the viewer and raise questions, while at the same time permitting individual interpretations. Essentially, these are psychological portraits. Many of the canvases assign the viewer the role of an almost voyeuristic observer. However, these pieces can also be perceived to be confrontational giving the viewers an active role, creating a silent dialogue between them and the painted figure. By depicting only a vague backdrop or omitting it altogether, the margins of the canvas do not mark the boundaries of the story. Lieverse works with a range of models that he photographs in his studio, but his ideas also come from newspapers, magazines, travelling and what he encounters on the street. By compiling accumulated images he develops ideas for new work.