Simeon Nijenhuis is a Dutch artist born in Zaandijk in 1969.
Simeon Nijenhuis at a glance
- Born: August 1969, Zaandijk, the Netherlands
- Nationality: Dutch
- Known for: Large etchings of cathedrals, and later still life paintings
- Medium: Etching and oil painting
- Education: Academy Minerva, Groningen (graduated 1993)
- Favorite subjects: Still lifes, especially grapes
- Website: simeonnijenhuis.nl
“Those soft gray tones of the 17th century Sea painters I found incredible. That was what I wanted!”
Simeon Nijenhuis graduated in 1993 in fine arts, drawing, and graphics at Academy Minerva in Groningen, and he became known for his series of large etchings of cathedrals, which established his reputation as a meticulous and dedicated printmaker.
From 1999 onward, Simeon Nijenhuis concentrated on painting in oils, a significant shift from his etching work, driven by his desire to capture the soft gray tones of 17th-century sea painters, which he found incredible and wanted to replicate in his own work.
Simeon Nijenhuis’s favorite subjects include still lifes, particularly grapes, which he finds beautifully delicate and transparent, and he is known for working on ten paintings at the same time, reflecting his impulsive and cyclically inclined nature.
- Graduated from Academy Minerva in Groningen in 1993.
- Known for his large etchings of cathedrals before turning to painting.
- Began painting in oils around 1999.
- His work is often described as vital, dynamic, and almost aggressive.
- He aims for a sense of calm in his later work.
Simeon Nijenhuis says that someone once told him his work would become calmer as he got older, and he found this to be true, and he now creates work that combines beautiful surfaces with dynamics, ensuring calmness and allowing him to stay fresh and inspired.
Art Category Fact: The Dutch Golden Age of painting in the 17th century produced masters of maritime painting such as Willem van de Velde the Elder and his son, who were known for their detailed and atmospheric depictions of ships and seascapes, and their work has influenced generations of artists, including Simeon Nijenhuis.
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” — Edgar Degas
You can see more of Simeon Nijenhuis’s paintings on his official website, simeonnijenhuis.nl.