MOTHER by Ada Breedveld

My sketches for a painting usually arise intuitively from a longing for peace and security, harmony and comfort.

The mother is central, she is the person who represents all of this in the dream or wish of every living being. All over the world, the mother is the symbol of care and protection.

She seeks connection and inclusion, builds bridges and forms a safe haven for homeless people. Her eyes are closed, her gaze is turned inward because she feels complete within herself. She is the ultimate symbol of independence and self-reliance.

My paintings are naive in style, lacking any hostility or violence, some people call them disarming. The anatomy of the women is not true to reality but very recognizable to everyone.

My great example is Henri Rousseau (1844-1910) who also painted his colorful imaginative jungles and animals in the naive style. And just like me, he was self-taught. With colour and composition I create a scene on the canvas that looks like an illustration, always referring to the story of domesticity and happiness.

Each genre piece has its own poetic story in which children are often depicted together with the mother. Mother Mary as an allegory for the nurturing mother. I paint a bird in almost every painting, which symbolizes the feminine nature.

A bird is a small, vulnerable creature that at the same time has enormous strength. The bird travels long distances to reach its nesting site. This is how I see the female; vulnerable and powerful, both united within her. However, I not only enlarge the woman as a mother in my work, but also show her sensuality.

She as the seductress and loving figure, as depicted in Japanese love prints (Shunga). Or as a geisha who enchants her audience with ceremony and music. Other times I am inspired by a poem such as Willem Wilmink's “Summer Night” and I create my painting based on the vision that the words bring to me.

For many years now the mother, the woman has been my topic, my source of inspiration; her nature is to be creative, to heal and to connect. And I can’t get enough of her.

Ada Breedveld November 2020