Still Life I - Charcoal Drawing by Nicolaas Maathuis

Executed in charcoal on a specially scratched paper surface, the drawing presents a bowl of fruit together with other objects arranged on a table and seen from an elevated viewpoint. The composition is built from simplified forms, overlapping contours and intersecting lines, giving the arrangement a distinctly graphic and somewhat Cubist quality. The scratched surface exposes the paper beneath the charcoal and introduces an additional layer of texture, while the variation between dark marks and lighter areas keeps the drawing direct and tactile.

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.