Han Mesartist • painterKoog aan de Zaan 1936

Han Mes studied at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. After her education, she left for Paris on a grant from the French state, where she developed a preference for medieval art through frequent museum visits. Inspired by medieval symbolism, Han Mes developed her own visual language, which she used in small representations of figures in landscapes. From the 1970s, the canvases are larger and the style is less realistic. She then uses a sober and dark palette and the emphasis is more on atmosphere. Later, the gloomy tones give way to bright colors and light. Portraits and figures in indefinable spaces then form the main theme.