In her childhood Caroline Kastelijn (1978, Den Bosch) had a fascination for the works of Dutch painter Charley Toorop. ‘They were disturbing and forced themselves into my mind. ‘Look at me’, they seem to shout. Or: ‘Do you know who I am?’
A few decades later Julia Camerons ‘The Artist Way’ put her talents into perspective. Kastelijn: ‘I made art all my life, but suddenly there was this new horizon. I was able to look at myself and at my work in a different way. We were both ready to show us to the world.’
‘My portraits are symbolic for the archetypes in every human being. They force you to look into their eyes, as if they were a gateway to hidden wisdom. Wisdom despite color, age, sex or any other way we distinguish our fellow humans. In my art there is a strong belief that this beauty of wisdom is in everybody. And that contact with this unique and universal knowledge is a matter of view. The colors cry for attention. It is the combination of these colors and the fact that eye contact is inevitable that makes you meet.
