Pauline Bakker

Pauline Bakker Pauline Bakker (1966) started her artistic career at the Vrije Academie in The Hague, where she dedicated herself to painting. After her study at the VA, she entered the teacher training at d’ Witte Lelie in Amsterdam. While she strongly admired realistic and classical art, these artistic trends were not in demand at the time. Pauline, therefore, specialised in restoring classical paintings, and worked in a renowned restoration studio for years. During her work, she learned much about the technique of the Old Masters, the structure of their paintings and the colour arrangements. This classical and technical background is clearly reflected in her own work.

In 1997, Pauline, nevertheless, made the transition from restoring paintings to working as a professional artist. Her work consists in part of commissions from municipalities, companies and individuals. The commissions are, amongst other things, architectural in nature, featuring the portrayed building against a tranquil background and a suitable sky, thereby showing the building to its advantage, or maritime commissions for both the Dutch Navy and private boat owners.

A large project with which Pauline Bakker acquired much acclaim is the repainting of the triptych for the Great St Laurens Church in Alkmaar. She painted the history of Alkmaar on 85 m2 over the deteriorating replica made by Maerten van Heemskerck. Her resources for this project were models and the historical insights of the Regional Archive.

Pauline is secretary of the Dutch Society of Marine Artists (Nederlandse Vereniging van Zeeschilders): a select group of Dutch artists that regularly exhibit their art together and are all specialised in depicting the sea in a variety of ways. The NVZ displayed their work in the Panorama Mesdag and the Pulchri Studio in The Hague.

The subjects that Pauline uses to achieve her characteristically intense atmosphere differ frequently, yet her paintings always exude space and tranquillity. The classically painted skies provide a surprising contrast with the austere painting style of the buildings and landscapes, and put the mundane reality in a startling perspective. In her professional capacity, Pauline regularly travels along the coasts of the Netherlands, Great Britain, France and the USA.