“The juxtaposition between the eternal and the temporal, beauty and decay, appearing and disappearing is my main theme. All painters and photographers have the ability to freeze time and capture a single moment. I emphasize that moment by adding an element of time – not necessarily by using literal vanitas references but through the handling of materials. The use of craquelure is my symbol for time and introduces a visual element since it is oil paint and thus sharp, contrasting with the rest of the blurry image. Most of the distance is created by the way the picture is taken, through a matte medium. I print the image on to that same matte medium giving a further sense of distance. What I also like about the craquelure is the texture it gives to the surface or skin. The work becomes more material, more substantial, pointing toward painting instead of photography and thus encouraging a different way of perceiving the work.”
Casper Faassen
Casper Faassen NL, b. 1975
Looking at Caspers Faassen’s work is like looking through the mist of time. The artist, who has a studio in Leiden, draws inspiration from the classical painting he encountered as a child in the Netherlands. In addition, he develops his very own pictorial language with the application of craquelé. Casper Faassen grew up in Leiden where he was influenced by the old Dutch Masters: Gerrit Dou, Jan Steen and Rembrandt van Rijn. Casper Faassen studied at the University of Amsterdam, where he continued to pursue his artistic ambitions. Here he had the chance to paint daily and compiling an impressive œuvre at a young age.