Robert Zandvliet (b. 1970) is undoubtedly one of the most talented painters in the Netherlands today. He came to international notice in around 1995 and since then his work has been on show in major international exhibitions, attracting collectors throughout Europe and in the United States. Zandvliet is an ambitious artist whose thinking and practice is rooted in the language of painting. Over the last five years, he has engaged in an intensive exploration of the work not just of classic modern masters like Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian, but also of figures as varied as the American Modernist Jackson Pollock, 17^th-century Chinese painter Bada Shanren and Rotterdam artist Dolf Henkes. Zandvliet’s interest extends to painting over the whole period from 1650 to the present. But however diverse the works of Zandvliet’s predecessors may be, his versions of them exhibit a distinctive personal style: both subtle and strong, and at once rich in contrasts and smoothly flowing. Zandvliet’s aim is to exploit the potential of the medium to the utmost. In the GEM’s new exhibition I owe you the truth in painting, he involves the visitor in his fascinating exploration of works of the past.

The phrase I owe you the truth in painting is a quote from a letter written by Cézanne to fellow artist Emile Bernard in 1905, when Cézanne’s search for the right way to represent the real world was producing revolutionary advances in his work. Zandvliet’s revisitation of the art of his predecessors is nothing new in his career. Now, however, he has chosen to focus exclusively on it for an extended period, exploring art history in depth in order to enrich his own artistic practice. After all, every image is based on a previous image. There may have been a beginning but there is certainly no end to the process. Zandvliet does not produce translations of earlier paintings, but seeks to distil their essence. In other words, he is engaged in a quest for the truth in painting – in the full awareness that there is no such thing to be found, because everything is always an interpretation, or an interpretation of an interpretation. Against his better judgment, however, Zandvliet persists in his belief in the ultimate painting, a magnum opus.

Zandvliet is one of those people who keep the art of painting alive and kicking. Critics may proclaim the death of painting but they are very wide of the mark. Painting remains a vigorous and inexhaustible medium. And, Zandvliet says, practitioners have no such worries. He himself has exploited many of the medium’s possibilities: his early work made extensive use of the traditional still life, landscape and portrait genres. His oeuvre includes many scenes from everyday life, such as a cinema auditorium or a car mirror. Although his work is initially reminiscent of the cool beauty of American painting, Zandvliet’s return to landscape places him solidly in the centuries-old Dutch tradition. This exhibition, including elements of painting from 1650 right through to modern times, enables visitors to appreciate the richness of painting in all its glory.

In addition to the exhibition at the GEM, Robert Zandvliet’s work can be seen this spring in two other exhibitions at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag: Just Paint (on until 17 June) and Discover the Modern (from 28 April).

The exhibition at the GEM is accompanied by the lavishly illustrated catalogue ‘Robert Zandvliet, I owe you the truth in painting’ texts by Louise Schouwenberg and design by Irma Boom. The book is published by NAi Publishers, € 35.