Erwin Verkade, based in The Hague, finds in his work a reflection of everyday moments and emotions.After graduating as an illustrator from the Willem de Kooning Academy in 2016, he continued exploring harmony, form, and the meaning of places — a quiet charm and stillness of daily life.
The form in his work is simplified by embracing empty space or using a single block of colour. Within this framework, Verkade experiments with unexpected compositions. His greatest source of inspiration is Japanese woodblock prints, with examples such as Suzuki Harunobu, Hasui Kawase, and Ando Hiroshige. Other inspirations include modern artists like Will Barnet and Pablo Picasso.
Verkade’s style is minimalist, neither fully abstract nor representational. His work combines both approaches in exactly the measure he feels best expresses its meaning. The spaces or places depicted by Verkade may feel like home, a destination, or even a memory. They evoke a longing for a place that is both familiar and estranging — a place attempting to give room to emptiness. Sometimes reaching a destination can be meaningful, but at other times it can feel strikingly empty.
His work is an ode to the serenity and beauty of everyday life. “Nothing is quiet. Nothing is still. The bloom of time.”For Verkade, this means that nothing lasts forever. The transitory may be defined on one’s own terms.
Follow Erwin
Would you like to be notified when we add new works by Erwin Verkade to our collection?
