Carlos Blaaker

In early 2000, Carlos Blaaker (Paramaribo, 1961) moved his studio from downtown Rotterdam to one on the outskirts of the city, in Rotterdam-Zuid. This change in his working environment has had a clear impact on the paintings Blaaker has created recently. His daily commute across the Maas River became an important source of inspiration. The vastness of the landscape, the bright light, the view of the harbors, and the industrial architecture: these are all elements that can be found in Blaaker’s new paintings. These influences are most clearly visible in the last two canvases Blaaker painted. Depicted are two tall gantry cranes of the kind found in any major port city. The bright yellow of the iron cranes stands out sharply against the blue sky. Due to the enormous size of the canvases, the industrial machinery towers high above the viewer. The harsh light and sharp shadows bring to mind the paintings of American artists such as Edward Hopper. Viewed from a distance, Carlos Blaaker’s paintings appear to be highly realistic depictions of his immediate surroundings. But the closer you get to the canvases, the clearer it becomes that the artist has applied his paint in bold, thick strokes. What at first appeared to be a uniform blue sky turns out, upon closer inspection, to be a impasto surface in which the painter’s powerful style is evident. A shipping container that, when viewed from a distance, appeared to be painted in exquisite detail is in fact constructed from dark and light brushstrokes placed side by side. Due to the clean forms, the right angles, and the many horizontal and vertical lines of the cranes, Blaaker’s monumental paintings have become almost abstract compositions. When you compare these recent canvases with Blaaker’s earlier paintings—primarily portraits of people and animals—it almost seems as though a stylistic shift has taken place. The rounded forms have given way to the sharp contours of buildings. The richness of warm colors has been replaced by a bright color palette. The images are no longer constructed in a collage-like manner from different parts but now form a more cohesive whole. Blaaker’s paintings have become more autonomous. Yet the eagerness with which the artist applies his paint to the canvas—whether with a brush, palette knife, or directly from the tube—has remained the same. Blaaker paints everyday reality—the places in public spaces where the human touch is clearly recognizable. In his work, he elevates trivial elements to a higher level. Blaaker’s paintings are an ode to the beauty of everyday life.