ABOUT THE ARTIST

Statement
The works of Dutch artist Rombout Oomen may vary visually, the context and story of his images are always about his individual interests and personal view on depicting sociological and social phenomena. Rombout’s works are basically visual storytelling. Stories inspired on our current society, but interpreted into a personal universe and realm. His works are bright and colourful with a clear extravert energy. They are individualistic pictures of how, according to him, the world at large and his inner world go around.

Rombout is trained in a Dutch manner, but the visual language is clearly Northern European and contemporary expressionistic. Visually, the paintings are strongly inspired by several periods he lived in Germany. Over the years he has developed a personal technique and style for his figurative and narrative images.
He experiences painting as a spiritual journey towards a conclusion, which can’t be reached literally. Although a conclusion of a journey without an end is a contradiction, the narrative of this journey is being visualized in his paintings.

About Rombout Oomen
The work of Rombout Oomen (Amsterdam, 1975) finds itself on a cutting edge of opposites. The compositions of Oomens paintings seem to be inspired by the period of the Enlightenment. But in the performances of its scenes, cool rationalism is the only absentee. The light that shines in his work is flaming and dangerous. The people portrayed entered somewhere in the eighteenth century at Jacques-Louis David’s revolutionary and thrilling environment. Perfumed, well cut and fit, they began celebrating a decent and enlightened ball. In Rombout Oomen’s work, they finish possessed, stuffed and tired without illusions in a bacchanal where they never found the exit. Unhinged in a circus carousel that led them drunk through the night. No reason, love or salvation remains. Only worn out lust and grotesque concepts, which perhaps give moments of thrill and instant happiness – but do not ask for how long.

Rombout Oomen likes to paint in series. Such as his Slumberland Manifesto. Often he chooses large formats – wall paintings, factory size cloths in industrial buildings or just one side of a skyscraper – such as his Swan on the A’DAM-tower on the river IJ in Amsterdam. Work who does not hesitate to rather shout out something, though that call is more ambiguous than you think. As the work of Oomen is expressive, but never noisy. If you take the time to study on his euphoric pictures you will discover somewhere in the depth a hushed poignant element. You’re going to suspect that in the darkest corner of his work a Romantic element lays bare. As has been said: the cutting edge of contradictions

(by Bas Kok, Dutch historian and journalist)

Works in company and private collections, such as:
HNA Company, New York City/ Shanghai
Google Italy, Milan
German Ministry of Finance, Berlin
Baruti perfumes, Amsterdam
Private collection Berlin
Several private collections Netherlands
Several company collections Netherlands
Private collection Seattle, USA