Paul Smulders

Since 1998, Paul Smulders (Breda, 1962) has been exploring, in his own unique way, the boundaries between the photographic and the painted image. Using photocopies and a computer, he transforms existing images into grid patterns that he prints onto canvas. Such “transfers” and painted sections are alternately layered on top of one another, creating multi-layered images. Although Paul Smulders also uses oil paint and spray paints, he primarily works with acrylic paint—specifically industrial-grade acrylics, which possess distinct properties. Smulders paints wet-on-wet, allowing certain paints to react aggressively with one another, causing the mixture to appear to separate. He demonstrates his mastery by harnessing these unpredictable reactions.

Paul Smulders’ works are a tension between loosely painted sections combined with a crisp graphic pattern. The contrast between the abstract and the figurative also continues to play a role. His canvases seem to be divided into several levels that nevertheless reinforce one another. The artist skillfully establishes connections between his subjective painting style and the objective nature of images from various media.