Ton Bouchier’s work is all about la condition humaine, man’s fate. He has a humoristic approach to this, actually quite serious, subject. His paintings are, in a sense, autobiographical; Bouchier draws from his own insight on life and his relationship towards the world around him. He portrays the small grievances of life. The artist does not look for the meaning of life in world shocking affairs but in the things that give colour and form to our daily lives and sometimes petit bourgeois existence. The figures in his paintings, usually men, look unworldly and inscrutable. Bouchier paints them in robust shapes, outlined against a relatively serene and flat background. They seem to have resigned themselves to the daily reality of life. They are sitting in a static position at a table or standing in front of a wall. They seem to be waiting, looking or just thinking about something. Although his figures are far from aesthetical their appearance is never repulsive. They are rather endearing, possibly because although they come across as unrealistic, they radiate familiarity.
Education: Vredeman de Vries Academy, Leeuwarden
