Gijsbert van Oosten

born in The Hague, The Netherlands.
After fulfilling his architecture study at the ‘Academy of Architecture’ (Academie van Bouwkunst) in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, he thereafter went on to study sculpture and painting at the ‘Open Academy’ (Vrije Academie) in The Hague and Rotterdam. He has settled in Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel where he has established his business involving sculpture, painting and architecture.

Architecture
Located in respectively Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel, Rotterdam and Leiden, he founded and chaired ‘Architectenbureau Van Oosten’. For 35 years he successfully accomplished many exclusive assignments. In recent years he focuses entirely on sculpture and painting.

Sculpture
Gijsbert’s interest in sculpture has enabled him to create some beautiful and interesting pieces over the years. The major part of sculpture, according to Gijsbert, is a matter of technique, to master the craft. To hew at stone and wood, plastic arts in clay, wax and plaster are as a technique important but essentially it’s the reflection of the inner perception and the transfer of emotions. Nearly all sculptures, cast from bronze, are made in edition of 6. Wooden sculptures are apparently unique. Human beings and animals are a big source of inspiration. Together with the material, the tools, technique and own locomotion, new shapes and ideas arise which brings him in a constant growing creative development. The emotion he puts into his work often touches the viewers and gives an understanding of their own inner feelings.

Painting
When Gijsbert starts painting, he has no real impression of what should come into being. The final result is the outcome of a long survey. The composition is a continuous adjustment due to the fact that the shapes, lines, divisions and colors ask for it. The painting makes itself; it tells you how to go on. A painting is never finished, when to stop is always a difficult decision. To paint is for him the investigation and penetration of an inner world. His paintings do not spread a message, neither do they explain anything; they try to tickle the brain as well as the emotion of the spectator. It is like a game between the artist and the viewer; it asks to take action and invites to give it a meaning.