Tjalf Sparnaay - The Bigger Picture

Tjalf Sparnaay

When you stand in front of a canvas by Tjalf Sparnaay (Haarlem, 1954), something happens to you. The image you see, creates a lasting impression. And that is exactly his intention: "I am an image maker. I want to create images that have impact. But I am also interested in the overall concept, the bigger picture." Sparnaay wants you to look beyond what you actually see. He makes you realise that you can also view things around you in a different way. Humour, optimism and positivity are all integral parts of his images. He is the painter of ordinary, everyday things, things that you recognise because you are confronted with them on a daily basis but which, because of their isolation and position in a painting, are totally independent.

Mega Realism

Sparnaay was inspired by Rembrandt and Vermeer, by the magical realism of Carel Willink and American photographic realism, also known as hyper-realism, of artists like Ralph Goings, Charles Bell and Richard Estes. He made their style his own and developed what he himself called mega-realism, in which he depicts, isolates and (extremely) magnifies reality with more than photographic precision.

Appearances can be deceiving

Sparnaay regards himself as an illusionist. He is able to use paint on canvas to make the viewer believe he is seeing a hamburger and makes you believe in the perfection of the imperfect. In his opinion, beauty is the most important element, so he paints the meat sandwich at its very best, down to the smallest detail. To the extent that you think you can even smell and taste the hamburger and you need to get closer to the painting to convince yourself that what you see is not real.