Barend Blankert excels in realism with a twist. In some cases his works remind me of Teun Hocks ( tomorrows blog) , but most of the time one feels an “unease” in the scene. Wether the object/person is curled up on the floor, on the edge of a bed or crouching at a table. You feel a pity for the person in the painting. Blankert does not hesitate to refer to other painters in his paintings. There is this great example of the two boys in the Seurat painting BAIGNEURS A ASNIERES (in the National gallery collection). The two boys in the Blankert painting are exact copies of the ones in the Seurat painting, but where the painting by Seurat is crowded by others. The two boys are alone in an empty room, making the scene a sad one.
Still his works are worthwhile to look at and timeless. Barend Blankert is represented by galerie Mokum. The Blankert monograph is available at www.ftn-books.com
