He does not paint the sea, he smells it, he sniffs it. Undoubtedly, the title of Painter of the Navy suits him perfectly, so much the ocean is his universe.

 

Dirk Verdoorn is a self-taught painter who possesses talent and patience. His work, inscribed in a maxi-realistic, very original approach, allows for daring framing while preserving the smallest detail.

 

This globetrotter of painting, who draws his inspiration from the four corners of the planet, devotes his latest works to India, a land of contrast where frenzied globalization comes up against cultural essentialism.

This encounter seems to have reconciled him with the human world. Formerly, Dirk Verdoorn preferred to be satisfied with traces of human presence through these ships whose gigantism has always proved powerless in the face of natural forces. Today, men, in their smallness, make their appearance, in harmony with their environment. Troubling in their frail boats which never cease to cross the giant hulls of cargo ships, pensive children facing this materialistic world which does not yet concern them, they witness a laborious existence to which they devote their existence, without arrogance. , without pretension, without complaint. Their kindness is touching, their eyes are luminous. What does wealth matter when the mind dominates the body!

 

This confrontation with the Indian people ignited a spark in the work of this artist who enjoys painting with a lot of humanism. The colours are warmer, sometimes flirting with the surreal. Dirk Verdoorn tells the story of the marine world, with a few forays into fresh water through tropical atmospheres rich in naturalistic energies. But above all, he chooses not to forget the one who has shaped him for millennia, thanks to characters striking with dignity and simplicity. His work, still as precise in its approach, and dazzling in the treatment of light, is more philosophical in its description. The artist takes another step forward for this exhibition on the walls of this Honfleur gallery: a real event dedicating ten years of friendship and collaboration between a gallery owner and his artist.