Working quietly away in a studio in Aljezur, Frederik Beerbaum is producing works of Art that are sublime in their content, skillfully powerful in their execution and rank highly internationally. One could argue that in this modern and mainly secular world there are two types of art. There is the art that is easy;- easy to see 'What it is', easy to hang on a wall without intruding too much, easy to match with the furniture and easy to explain. Then there is the art that demands a dialogue with its viewer that is often a struggle, is confrontational and not always comfortable. It is in the latter category where the fine art of Beerbaum resides. His subject matter, which is figurative, is sourced from the philosophical struggles of the human state we all have to cope with seen from an acute eye and an intelligence able to observe and objectify into the physical matter of paint on canvas. In the above image'Flaws in the Glass' even in name we see how the metaphor of flawed or broken glass is used to represent dysfunction, conflict and fragility. This is even before we begin to look deeply. When we look at these works we are hit with some sense of internal recognition but a definition is illusive. This is when we have to both look and feel harder. The images can be sensual; they can also be violent. It is the colours and technique which marry the matter and the myth to the mind, muted or vibrant, washed or daubed. His theme is representation and transformation. Beerbaum is both well read and well schooled. He was born in 1942 in Hilversum, The Netherlands. He studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and graduated in 1969. He has been a member of Arti et Amicitiae in Amsterdam since 1978. Beerbaum is an afiliate of The Arts Club, London and The Salmagundi Club, New York. He is also listed in "Who's who in Art". 33rd edition, and in the Dictionary of International Biography. Frederik Beerbaum today divides his time between the busy, intellectual and visually stimulating Amsterdam and his peaceful retreat on the west coast of Portugal. His work has been exhibited in dozens of exhibitions internationally. He has work in more that 15 collections, has had many commissions and is in numerous publications.To see more of this work visit www.beerbaumart.com Annie James