Alexander Smith

The search for expressing and appointing the sense of being and human existence can be seen as the beginning of Alexander's artistic development. This search, which started in 1997, was soon doomed to end up in a labyrinth of ideas and concepts. With a certain irony a new and dynamic development arose at the moment when he was able to unhook himself from this search. But to make this new development fit in the desired shape it was necessary to leave the current movements of modern art. It was in this process that Alexander started to realize that it wasn't so much the sense of concept which he wanted to show in his paintings. It was more the sharing of his admiration for the existing beauty around him that took his attention. As beauty was a matter that always fascinated him, he now was looking for a beauty which consisted only in its most pure form, existing only in and by it self. With this new insight he also found a connection to the conceptions of Zen-buddhistic art. The concept that beauty is not created by the artist but is revealed by adding or leaving out certain elements is greatly admired in zen-buddhistic art. Next to the Zen-buddhistic arts, Alexander has a great affinity to the old Dutch Masters who where specialized in painting landscapes with the famous Dutch skies.