About Ernst Kruijff

I am a Dutch artist creating contemporary art. For 30 years, I have been exploring various creative areas. In the mid eighties, I started painting, taking lessons from the well-known Dutch artist Jan de Kok. He introduced me to painting with tempera to create numerous vibrant paintings. Simultaneously, I worked as a digital illustrator, designing infographics for educational software.

In the first half of the nineties, I studied art history and aided in the creation of corporate identities that included everything from paper material to art objects and clothing, and occasionally did some photography for commercial projects. Furthermore, my work was showcased in several exhibitions in the Netherlands.

Over the years, I have altered and refined my style. Constructivist and Bauhaus artists have greatly impressed me. This was certainly promoted by to the several years I spent at the Bauhaus in Weimar, where I worked at the Faculty of Architecture and was daily infused with a healthy dose of art and architecture.

Nowadays, my art pieces are inspired by  Nordic and  Japanese design by fusing and contrasting different design elements and art materials.  I blend sumi-e ink, acrylic paint, acrylic paint markers and fine liners to  create a synthesis between painting and drawing styles. I contrast the fluidity and vibrancy of painting with the clarity and almost technical nature of drawing and graphics design. This hybrid is not only evident in the contrast between styles, but also the compositions of the various pictorial elements, from organic shapes to basic geometric and architectural elements.   

I am grateful that  meanwhile, my artwork can be found in Europe, USA and Canada in private collections and corporate buildings.