Edwin IJpeij

About Artist:

Edwin IJpeij (b. 1969) is a contemporary Dutch painter and artist-inventor based near Maastricht. His work explores how human dignity, intimacy and the sacred can be encountered through the presence of the living body.

For IJpeij, a portrait begins before the first photograph, drawing or brushstroke. It begins in a meeting: through conversation, attention and the gradual emergence of trust. Rather than treating the human figure as an object of observation or desire, he seeks to portray the individual as a living presence—vulnerable, self-possessed and irreducibly human.

This approach places the human encounter at the centre of his practice, where the act of seeing becomes inseparable from the act of meeting. His work reflects on how presence itself can be translated into image, without reducing the subject to representation alone.

Drawing on his background in chemistry, IJpeij combines historical painting methods with his own material research. His paintings are constructed through carefully prepared grounds, monochromatic underpainting and multiple layers of tempera and oil. The resulting surfaces possess a quiet luminosity and physical depth, informed by the work of the Old Masters without becoming historical reconstruction.

IJpeij was a finalist in the Dutch national television series De Nieuwe Vermeer. His painting The Three Marys at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was presented at the Vrijheidsmuseum in the Netherlands. His work has been exhibited internationally and is held in private collections across Europe. He is represented by Espace Art Gallery in Brussels and Galerie ArtPéro in Belgium.

About Artwork:

Oil on marouflated panel. The linen structure is visible.

Frame: Italian wooden frame with hand-coloured silver leaf.

This work is an unica and from Edwin's Home Exclusive Collection. This painting is inspired by realising the impact of perishing beauty. The self-esteem of many women is depending on their attractiveness. With this painting, Edwin wants to trigger you to observe your own relationship towards true beauty: your inner beauty!

The hyperrealism posture of this lady is twisted, almost like a DNA helix, that emphasizes the matrix of life, the perfection of the female body, erotic beauties and the inspiration of female anatomy. But also, the DNA is the matrix of your essence. This painting is also an experiment of expressing the female landscape as a traditional still-life. Instead of rummers, girandoles or fruits, there are shown the beautiful round shapes of a lady. The clair obscure light co-works pleasantly with the composition, creating beautiful diagonal lines and round shapes. The intended anonymous atmosphere is emphasized by nearly abstract forms in this artwork. With this painting, Edwin has consciously chosen to represent the lady as a vanitas still-life, meaning that physical beauty is perishing, while inner beauty lasts forever. Be pure, not plastic!


In this artwork, Edwin used self-made paint made from traditional, genuine pigments to paint her skin. Also the panel is completely hand-prepared: the Belgian linen is glued on the multilayered wood and grounded with an oil based ground.?Frame: Italian wooden frame with hand-coloured silver leaf.