Artist’s statement and CV

CV

Click here: CV Marijke van Dijk (English)

Artist’s statement

Georgia O’Keeffe’s quote: Art is not what you see, it’s what you make others see, illustrates my passion for art history. In January 2020, I obtained the master’s degree in Art History (cum laude) at Radboud University in Nijmegen. Since then, an important part of my work consists of sharing art historical knowledge through writing, lectures, and courses.

Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together (John Ruskin, 1859). This statement perfectly illustrates how I work as an artist. Nature, the landscape, and how people relate to it, determine the content of my work. Beauty, but also transience, are recurring themes. I try to make visible the hidden aspects of the seemingly everyday, the unseen and insignificant. My work therefore has a contemplative character. My skills include drawing and painting, non-toxic graphic techniques and bookbinding. My oeuvre in recent years consists of drawings, graphic work, and handprinted artist’s books.

Finally, land art artist Chris Drury’s words may explain the seemingly illogical twists and turns in my professional career: Man’s description of ‘nature’ as something separate – out of town – where the edge is the division between ‘nature’ and ‘culture’, is an illusion. ‘Nature’ and ‘culture’ are the same thing (Chris Drury, 2006). 

Marijke

(photo: © Proview Beeldstudio, Vorden)