Luit de Jong

For Luit, the eighties were dominated by music and art. Besides drawing and painting, Luit’s other great passion was playing rock music while studying at the Academy of Art. This eventually led to the birth of the band Mysto Dysto – later rechristened as Mandator at the insistence of a German record company.

At the beginning of the nineties, Luit traded in his guitar for a set of brushes and calligraphy pens, becoming active in the art scene by running his own art gallery and staging exhibitions at venues across the globe.

You will find a variety of techniques in his work; paintings in oil and acrylic, drawings, illustrations and graphic line paintings. The graphic work is composed of strong lines merging into surfaces that are stand-alone in one sense and yet in another, lead to totally new forms. Free of all frills, a pure and unspoilt character is retained.

This combination of figurative and abstract compels observers to engage in a search within the play of lines and forms, without losing themselves in the visual illusion. This renders the work as highly refined and well thought-out. In some cases, it even becomes mathematical. Luit draws his inspiration, among other things, from experiences he had during his travels through a variety of countries in Asia. Preference is often given to absurd and sometimes risqué subjects. However, serious themes – inextricably linked to daily reality and current affairs – do also appear.

Titles such as Paperclip of the Mind, Hidden Rooms and Circle of Life portray Luit’s world and his train of thought. The act of uniting different worlds with their diverse cultures, ideas and outlooks serves as his source of inspiration.

This artwork has the capacity to grab the observer quickly through a combination of sophisticated colours, bold lines and forms and a technical finish with a high degree of perfection. Luit: “I prefer it when the structure of the base remains visible. This requires precision; the lines are built up using thin layers of acrylic paint and sometimes need to be repeated several times.” For Liveprint, the choice has been made for reproduction artwork where quality comes first. Nowadays, art and commerce go together very well. Luit: “As a result of the fantastic printing techniques available today, this work lends itself excellently to reproduction. Since a great deal of my original artwork has been sold, this technique helps make it possible to bring my work to the attention of many people across the entire world”.