Room Divider - Gouache on paper, Wooden frame, Perspex

This large room divider brings together furniture and painting in a single piece. Its surface features an arrangement of colourful abstract forms that vary in shape, scale and density, creating a dynamic composition across the panel. The contrast between red, green and other saturated colours gives the work a strong visual presence.

The composition is painted in gouache on paper, mounted on a wooden frame and protected with Perspex. The transparent Perspex surface can reflect the surrounding space and light, creating visible reflections depending on the viewing angle and lighting conditions. At 201 × 156 cm, the piece can function both as a room divider and as a large-format artwork within an interior.

Nicolaas Maathuis is a Dutch visual artist and designer working across painting, drawing, ceramics, furniture and applied art. His work often brings artistic forms and handmade elements into functional objects.

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.