Still Life - Gouache Painting by Nicolaas Maathuis

Executed in gouache on cardboard, the still life is constructed through overlapping shapes and visible brushstrokes. Green and blue hues form the dominant colour relationships within the composition, while the simplified forms establish the arrangement of the objects. The painting emphasises colour, shape and brushwork, with the opaque, matte surface of gouache allowing the individual strokes and layers of colour to remain visible.

Nicolaas Maathuis is a Dutch visual artist and designer. Born on June 23 in Deventer, the Netherlands, he followed a diverse educational and professional path, studying at the conservatory (ArtEZ), the Rietveld Academy, and the University of Amsterdam. His interests have ranged from music and pedagogy to visual art and law before he established himself as a visual artist and designer.

Maathuis works across painting, drawing, ceramics, furniture and applied art, often combining artistic ideas with functional objects. His work is characterised by simplified forms, a strong use of colour, and hand-drawn and handmade elements, with an interest in bringing art into everyday surroundings.

Maathuis lives and works in Buren, the Netherlands.