Hannelore Houdijk

Hannelore Houdijk (1975) graduated from the Academy of Art in Breda at a young age and subsequently completed a master’s program at the Dutch Art Institute in Enschede. After graduating, she received a start-up grant and has since exhibited both nationally and internationally. She has won several awards, including the national competition Painting of the Year 2019, Entrepreneur of the Year 2021, and reached the semi-finals of Artist of the Year in 2024 and 2025. She is a recognized member of Meesters van het Realisme (Masters of Realism).

In her studio in Nederhorst den Berg, Hannelore creates realistic, colorful, and intense paintings. She researches alternative ways of creating still lifes. After various experiments, she discovered that placing objects in water produced surprising images. Her compositions are distorted by water and light, giving the work a dreamlike atmosphere. Some parts remain recognizable, while others become abstract through the influence of the water.

To capture this unusual imagery in paint, Hannelore has developed a special painting technique, which she calls “optical painting.” Whereas realism typically involves very fine brushwork, Hannelore combines coarse and fine strokes that only appear realistic from a distance. From afar, the painting resembles a photograph, but up close you see rough patches of color.

For Hannelore, her paintings are an attempt to capture and preserve fragile and fleeting beauty. Everything that is beautiful eventually passes— a moment, a particular fall of light, or a movement.