lucas van robays

Lucas wants to touch the visitor with 'immediate simplicity'. An artist must first and foremost prove himself through a mix of creativity and technical knowledge. Lucas, who discovered his passion for brushes and oil paintings after a career as an interior architect. “The simple love for things, for the body, the light or the form, are a source of inspiration to move with very thin layers of paint. Consciously influenced by the Flemish Masters, I toiled on their knowledge and the splendor of colours, and bend them into contemporary scenes.

Lucas' spectrum is actually very broad. A few pomegranates reflect the summer. Apples admit frost damage or an Angora goat looks at you quizzically. Without falling into photographic perfection, he creates gossamer layer of paint upon layer of paint with the old glazing technique. “Keep looking to get from the authenticity of the thing to the canvas, with your own interpretation, in simplicity. That's what it comes down to for me, because this creates a new story of giving meaning and appreciating. Sometimes I also capture fleeting realities such as the splashing foam of the sea.

Art should be warm, art should be embraced, art is not there to keep your distance, but to bring you as close to yourself as possible.” There is also humor in his work. 'In Gold we Trust' is an allusion to the deep American belief in ... and in 'It's all-in the cloud now' you see eager clouds of grazing cows that amaze the viewer with their real tangibility. “From sea finds to tableware. Fruits, flowers or inherent timeless objects. Each work has its specific detail that appeals.

I am always looking for new groundbreaking possibilities within craftsmanship. To create a world within the framework of the canvas that sees further but also leaves the imagination to the viewer, thus realizing a more intense experience of just 'oil on canvas'.