11. Sympozium Litomyšl
Roel van der Linden (1982) lives in the Czech Republic, where he reflects the local landscape in his paintings. Besides treating it like a painter of Romantic cycles, he inserts figures and stories into it in a completely free flow of the imagination, playfulness, and joy of creation.
The mural that he painted right in the gallery is a mental map of Roel’s thoughts, conversations, and overheard stories. The intensity of his working process is reflected in the details of his paintings and in the layering of moments in the mural.
All these works share a playfulness that connects the unconnectable, that transforms the branches of a tree into a fluid line or the artist’s signature. This chameleon-like stylistic identity is a serious game, one in which the artist engages with a full awareness of his role.
Roel Jeroen van der Linden 