René Smoorenburg

“Red Cape” Contemporary Fine Realist Still-Life Painting of a Red Cape

2022

During his successful career as a goldsmith the desire to paint grew on Dutch artist René Smoorenburg (1954). The attention to detail, which was of gr...

During his successful career as a goldsmith the desire to paint grew on Dutch artist René Smoorenburg (1954). The attention to detail, which was of great importance in his work as a goldsmith, proved of great value in painting his one of a kind still life’s. Step into a world where indulgence meets precision, and where everyday objects are elevated to timeless beauty. In “Cream Puff with Wild Strawberries”, Dutch fine painter René Smoorenburg captures a fleeting moment of sweetness with astonishing realism and elegance. At first glance, the painting is almost photographic: the gleaming swirl of fresh cream, the delicate texture of the puff pastry, and the deep, ruby-red glow of wild strawberries seem almost tangible—so vivid you can taste them. But this is more than just visual seduction. Look closer, and you'll find a perfect balance of composition, texture, and light that reflects the artist’s masterful control of his craft. His work stands in the long tradition of Dutch still life painting, originated in the seventeenth century, with its highly refined and meticulously executed depiction of reality. His work is in the spirit of many of those great works but retains its own distinctive style. Although René Smoorenburg works at a few paintings at the same time, the time it takes him to finish one individual painting amounts six months. Because of his very detailed style of painting, this time span is necessary to complete the work with a lot of patience and endurance. In contrast to the masters of the Golden Age, he chooses to emphasize the vulnerability, fragility and imperfection of everyday objects in his still life’s. According to René Smoorenburg, beauty is not perfection, but in the trace of the past and the evidence of enduring ravages of time. René Smoorenburg finds his sources of inspiration at antique fairs and markets: worn shoes...