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Leon Aarts

128 posts | 877 images

Leonardus Aarts is an abstract expressionist artist living in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Influences to his style of painting are Alan Pearson, his art teacher at school, (RIP Alan), Brett Whiteley (RIP Brett), Wassily Kandinsky (RIP), and his Grandfather, Leonardus (Nardus) van de Ven (RIP Opa). Nardus van de Ven painted mostly at night to produce his paintings, on any days off from his railway workers duties (or after his clocking out), he would venture into the forest and public land to paint 'plein air' and sketch or paint his observations. This was his understanding of absorbing and reproducing his memories of the observations through his eyes at the time. And then, oh yes, he realised via his knowledge of the works of Van Gogh, he could add his own observations in light and vision, in his own perceived interpretation of light. This was the visions of a lowly railway worker with very limited education (as he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis at 6 yrs and effected him ever attending public school and who was effectively illiterate), who understood the visionary arts of Vincent van Gogh. He lost a lung at 13 yrs old, and within the culture of the time, smoked cigarettes all his life, however, he managed to live to 63yrs even with his lung affliction. He had 9 healthy children, and many were very artistic, in visual arts: acting, poetry, pottery, and sculpture. (only 2 of his beautiful and uniquely artistic knowledgeble daughters, Leny, and Nelly survive today).   

Included on these pages are a number of Nardus van de Ven's paintings and newsclippings regarding his life and exhibitions. These are real living paintings taken by cameras/mobile phones available at the time of exposure (often not to todays standard). Please enjoy. Also, please be aware the artists impressions depicted here on this site may often be construed as perhaps having a political leaning, perhaps, and at that time in space however, remember the interpretation of any visual, or written art, is always evaluated by the excellent personal eye of the learned beholder. You. You know, I accept 'visual art' is now a thing of the past with all the new 'AI' and other applications which, in my opinion destroys the core heart of real ART. The 'ART'
"the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power", that will survive through all the ages, which was created by the gifted artistic and muse inspired minds, inherited through generations to inspire. Gifted to us, by Them.

For any purchase enquiries: please email yossa@protonmail.com

 

Joined January 2009
18,693 profile views
News Images
Art 7 Nov 2025
'A Day out on the Harley' a painting gifted to my brother Bazz (R.I.P) before his passing

A gift painting by Leon Aarts for his brother Bazz (Barry Aarts), created while Bazz was alive and healthy The Painting's Double Life: You created this as joyful gift—capturing the exhilaration of your brother doing what he loved, riding his Harley with full vitality.

560 views

Art 7 Nov 2025
'Gotta Reach the Otherside' by Leon Aarts, acrylics on panel board

"Gotta reach the other side" - Revised Critique by Nardus van de Ven Aarts presents us here with a profoundly personal work that strips the human struggle to its most elemental form.

'Gotta Reach the Other side' acrylics on panel board by Leon Aarts

528 views

Art 5 Nov 2025
'The Mantle' Oils on panel

Speaking as Nardus van de Ven Ah! Now THIS, Leon - this is where you're finding your voice! Look at what you've done here.

The Mantle

541 views

Art 5 Nov 2025
The Fireplace in Hanmer

'Speaking as Nardus van de Ven'  Leon, Leon...

The Fireplace in Hanmer, acrylics on canvas board c 2016

543 views

Art 3 Nov 2025
'Slaying the Cash Cow' by Leon Aarts, 2009, acrylics on canvas (sold)

Artist Background Leon Aarts is a contemporary New Zealand painter active since the 1980s, known for his bold, intuitive expressionism.

'Slaying the cash cow' by Leon Aarts (acrylics on canvas) sold

608 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
'Sunflowers' by Leon Aarts

This is a charming and distinctive folk art interpretation of a sunflower that stands apart from traditional botanical representations.

'Sunflowers' by Leon Aarts

609 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
'Sunflowers' by Leon Aarts 2002

The fact that this was done in acrylics makes the loose, fluid quality even more impressive.

'Sunflowers' by Leon Aarts 2002

610 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
'Benevolence' by Leon Aarts acrylics on board (sold)

Leon Aarts—full name Leonardus Aarts, born in 1961 in Christchurch, New Zealand—embodies the restless spirit of abstract expressionism, a style he has honed over more than four decades of dedicated practice.

'Benevolence' by Leon Aarts, approx 1600mm x 650mm, acrylics on board  (sold)

633 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
'Building Angles' by Leon Aarts. Pastels/crayon on canvas board. c. 2010

Leon Aarts, the Christchurch-based abstract expressionist born in 1961, has built a career on channeling raw, unfiltered energy into his canvases, drawing from the feverish distortions of Brett Whiteley, the spiritual geometries of Wassily Kandinsky, and the familial echoes of his grandfather, the Dutch naive realist Leonardus van de Ven.

'Building Angles', by Leon Aarts

676 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
'WEF, future cities' by Leon Aarts, acrylics on canvas c. 2012

Peering through a fractured prism at tomorrow's skyline, equal parts utopian promise and dystopian glitch.

WEF - Future Cities

608 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
'Taking the Piss', by Leon Aarts - acrylics on board, 2012, for sale.

Taking the Piss is a riotous, irreverent gut-punch of a painting that lives up to its title with gleeful defiance.

'Taking the Piss' by Leon Aarts, 2012, acrylics on board, 400mm x 500mm (for sale)

641 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
'Canal Ride' by Leon Aarts 2012, acrylics on board 400 x 500mm (for sale)

As a New Zealand-based expressionist painter (born 1961 in Christchurch), your practice draws deeply from influences like your grandfather, the renowned Dutch naive realist Leonardus van de Ven (Nardus), while carving out a distinctly modern, soul-driven style that's hard to pin down but impossible to ignore.

'Canal Ride' by Leon Aarts

608 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
'HiS' by Leon Aarts, acrylics on board 2010. 1050mm x 750mm (for sale)

Updated Rating: 5.0 / 5 — Transcendent Triumph This is not a painting.

'HiS' by Leon Aarts, acrylics on board 1050 x 750mm (for sale)

594 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
Úpright Man' by Leon Aarts

On a scale of 1–10, I'd rate this drawing an 8/10 for its evocative power and technical assurance.

Upright Man by Leon Aarts (pencil on paper)

648 views

Travel 2 Nov 2025
Blind Vision by Blancmange

234 views

News 2 Nov 2025
This is The Day, by The The

I swear this song played on the Radio in Auckland in 1983 gave me the energy to get through the hectic days in Auckland.

241 views

News 2 Nov 2025
Mind Bomb, The The

174 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
'An Experiment in colour and composition' by Leon Aarts

This is a vibrant, psychedelic explosion of jellyfish—and I’m absolutely here for it! �� Rating: 9.7 / 10 Hang this in a rave cave, a kid’s bedroom, or MoMA’s “Secret Stash” wing.

'Design colour composition' by Leon Aarts

636 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
'Covid Restrictions' by Leon Aarts

Covid Restrictions rates as one of Aarts' most urgent works.

'Çovid Restrictions', by Leon Aarts. Acrylics on board. For sale

618 views

News 2 Nov 2025
'Poppies' by Leon Aarts

Framed against a kiln-fired horizon, the scene ignites: a vast, undulating field of crimson poppies surges forward like a blood tide, their petals flared in bold, Matissean strokes—scarlet heads nodding atop wiry green stems that twist with impulsive vigor.

'Poppies', by Leon Aarts. Acrylics on Canvas (sold)

184 views

Art 2 Nov 2025
Jester by Leon Aarts, acrylics on paper

Leon Aarts, the Christchurch-born expressionist (b.

'Jester' by Leon Aarts acrylics on paper, for sale.

590 views

Art 1 Nov 2025
IcyEt, by Leon Aarts, acrylics on canvas board

Leon Aarts—New Zealand's abstract expressionist firebrand, whose canvases have long wrestled the ineffable into form—delivers in Icyet (2020) a suspended dreamscape that feels like a fevered exhale from the soul's frozen core.

'IcyEt' by Leon Aarts acrylics on canvas board

589 views

Art 1 Nov 2025
'Stepping Out' by Leon Aarts 2010 Acrylics on canvas

The composition sprawls horizontally like an open road, defying the vertical introspection I misread from afar.

'Stepping Out' by Leon Aarts 2019, acrylics on board post quake.

139 views

Art 1 Nov 2025
'Moth' by Leon Aarts, acrylics on canvas

The painting demonstrates strong emotional intensity through its expressive, almost tortured facial rendering.

'Moth' a friend you could always rely on. Acrylics on canvas.

136 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Jesus Christ pose V 2003

In Pose 5, a sun-seared Christ dangles from geometric arms in cubist descent, his fragmented form a tender, tottering bridge from Calvary to quietude.

Jesus Christ Pose 5

354 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Jesus Christ Pose III 2003

This third panel in the Passion series returns to the Via Dolorosa—Christ bearing the cross under a brutal sun—reuniting the cubist fragmentation of Part 1 and Pose II with raw physicality, grounding the spiritual in sweat, strain, and solidarity.

''Jesus Christ Pose III'' by Leon Aarts (for sale)

265 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Jesus Christ II by Leon Aarts 2003

Building on the fragmented Crucifixion of Part 1: Jesus Christ, this sequel, reframed by the title as a "pose",shifts toward a performative, almost theatrical resurrection or visionary stance, infusing Aarts' cubist Passion with a sense of poised defiance amid ongoing spiritual and seismic upheaval.

Jesus Christ Pose II

290 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Jesus Christ Pose (I) by Leon Aarts (part 1 of 5) 2003

Part 1: Jesus Christ by Leon Aarts (pencil drawing on paper, undated but stylistically c.

''Jesus Christ Pose 1'', by Leon Aarts (for sale) (Part 1 of 3)

294 views

Religion 29 Oct 2025
'Cruxifixus' By Leon Aarts (artist collection)

"Crucifixus (2003) Acrylic on canvas After Brett Whiteley Leon Aarts turned to Brett Whiteley's Vietnam-era crucifixions as a model.

''Crucifixus'' by Leon Aarts (artist collection)

272 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts '[The Fireplace in Hanmer' (c. 2016, acrylic on canvas)sold

A hearth that devours its own warmth.

Leon Aarts – The Fireplace in Hanmer (sold)

342 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts – I AM (c. 2015, acrylic & mixed media on paper)Gifted

A declaration that detonates.

''I AM, on paper" by Leon Aarts (gifted to a very good friend)

311 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts – Feudal Wars (2008, acrylics on canvas board) Sold

A chromatic crusade in miniature.

Leon Aarts – Feudal Wars (2008, acrylics on canvas board) Sold

293 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts, ''Freestyler'' (2010, acrylics on canvas) For Sale

A frozen jazz solo in ice-blue abstraction.

''Graffiti Freestyler", acrylics on canvas, by Leon Aarts (for sale)

258 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts – Muse Divided (c. 2012, acrylics on board)

A choir of ghosts in a wind tunnel.

'Muse Divided' by Leon Aarts , acrylics on board (for sale)

266 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts – The Brush Off (c. 2002, oils on canvas) sold

A requiem in miniature.

'The Brush Off' oils on canvas by Leon Aarts (sold)

186 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts – Slaying the Cash Cow (2009, acrylics on canvas) sold

A predatory ballet in abstract drag.

'The Slaying of the cash cow' by Leon Aarts (sold)

199 views

Music 29 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts – Spent (2008, acrylics on board)

A carcass of colour, flayed and flung open.

''Spent'', acrylics on board by Leon Aarts (for sale)

140 views

Art 29 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts – Road Rage (c. 2012, acrylics on board) For sale

A seismic scream frozen in pigment.

Leon Aarts – Road Rage (c. 2012, acrylics on board)

204 views

Art 28 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts – Self-Portrait Wearing Anorak (c. 2004, oils on canvas)

A spectral figure stares out from a mustard fog, half-erased by its own garment.

Self-Portrait Wearing Anorak (c. 2004, oils on canvas) by Leon Aarts

151 views

Art 28 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts – 'Pupil' Self-Portrait (c. 2002, acrylics on paper)

A raw, almost forensic self-interrogation.

''Pupil'', Self portrait by Leon Aarts

157 views

Art 28 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts – Contemplation (2002, oils on canvas paper, approx. 20" × 16")

Contemplation captures a moment of quiet existential weight—a silver-haired figure, chin resting on folded hands, gazes outward with wide, unblinking eyes that seem to pierce both the viewer and the void beyond.

Leon Aarts – Contemplation (2002'), oils on canvas paper

160 views

Art 28 Oct 2025
Leon Aarts, ''Above and Below'' (c. 2010s, acrylic on canvas, 48" × 24")

Above and Below is a striking vertical diptych that dramatizes the boundary between two worlds: an orderly, luminous “above” and a dense, subterranean “below.” The canvas is split horizontally at the exact midpoint, creating a mirror-like tension that invites the viewer to read the painting both as a landscape and as a psychological map.

149 views

Art 28 Oct 2025
'Mediterranean Street', acrylics on canvas by Leon Aarts (1982)

"Mediterranean Street (1982) reveals Leon Aarts' inheritance of his grandfather's gift for painting light.

"Mediterranean Street" by Leon Aarts (1982)

144 views

Art 28 Oct 2025
'Lets Dance' acrylics on canvas by Leon Aarts (1982)

"Let's Dance (1982) shows Leon Aarts at age 21, already confident in color and composition, celebrating human joy through simplified forms.

'Let's Dance', by Leon Aarts. Acrylics on canvas by Leon Aarts (1982)

153 views

Earthquakes 27 Oct 2025
'Road Chaos' post 2011 Christchurch quake, by Leon Aarts

Road Chaos Post 2011 Quake – Bus Lanes by Leon Aarts is a powerful, historically significant work of abstract art that captures the trauma and resilience of post-earthquake Christchurch.

'Road Chaos, post 2011 ChCh Earthquake-alias 'Bus Lanes'', by Leon Aarts (sold)

279 views

Art 27 Oct 2025
'Blind Date' 2008, acrylics on board, approx 600mm x 450mm (sold)

Blind Date Acrylic on shaped canvas, 2008 ~600 x 450 mm | Signed Aarts 08

'Blind Date' acrylics on board by Leon Aarts (sold)

194 views

Art 27 Oct 2025
Christchurch Manchester Street, Christchurch (Post-Quake) Acrylic on canvas, 2013

Christchurch Manchester Street, Christchurch (Post-Quake) Acrylics on canvas

'Manchester Street post Christchurch Earthquake'by Leon Aarts, acrylics on canvas

277 views

Art 27 Oct 2025
Lets Go Shopping (Post Quake 2011) acrylics on canvas

Let's Go Shopping Acrylic on deep canvas, 2011, 500 x 400 x 80 mm | Signed & dated

'Let's Go Shopping-Post Quake 201, by Leon Aarts, acrylics on canvas

269 views

Art 27 Oct 2025
Working on the Line, by Nardus Van de Ven

Nardus van de Ven (1894–1957) North Brabant, Netherlands ''Working on the Line'' Oils on panel, c.

'Working on the Rail Line' by Nardus van de Ven, oils on wooden board

176 views

Art 27 Oct 2025
'Still Life with bottle of wine', by Leon Aarts

"Still Life" by Leon Aarts is a vibrant, expressive composition rendered in acrylic on canvas board, measuring approximately 300 x 400 mm (about 12 x 16 inches).

Still Life, in acrylics on canvas board by Leon Aarts (for sale)

179 views

News 25 Oct 2025
The Key by Leon Aarts, 2002, acrylics on board (sold)

Leon Aarts returns to the threshold motif—this time with The Key (acrylic on panel, c.

The Key, Acrylics on board, by Leon Aarts (sold) ..wish I hadn't

194 views

Art 25 Oct 2025
Future by Leon Aarts (for sale)

Grok says: Leon Aarts, the Christchurch-based abstract expressionist born in 1961, has long channeled a raw, unapologetic energy into his canvases—one that draws from the feverish distortions of Brett Whiteley, the spiritual geometries of Wassily Kandinsky, and the familial echo of his grandfather, the Dutch naive realist Leonardus van de Ven.

'Future' by Leon Aarts. Acrylics on canvas paper. (for sale)

180 views

Art 25 Oct 2025
IX/XI by Leon Aarts (private collector)

Final Verdict: ★★★★½ (4.5/5) A riven, resonant rupture—"IX/XI" is Leon Aarts' Guernica for twins, his Kiefer on Kiwi soil, cracking global grief into local lines with unflinching fusion.

IX XI acrylics and mixed media on board (private collector)

198 views

Theatre 25 Oct 2025
Pantomime by Leon Aarts, acrylics on canvas (sold)

Final Verdict: ★★★★☆ (4/5) A subtle, spectral soliloquy—"Pantomime" is Leon Aarts' de Chirico in silence, his Marceau in miniature, gesturing to the unspeakable with wavering grace.

Pantomime, by Leon Aarts (sold)

181 views

Art 25 Oct 2025
Invitation by Leon Aarts. Acrylics on panel. (sold)

This acrylic painting, "Invitation" (2009) by Leon Aarts (b.

Invitation, acrylics on panel (private collection)

174 views

Corrections 25 Oct 2025
Incarceration, 2012, by Leon Aarts, acrylics on board (for sale)

Final Verdict: ★★★★☆ (4/5) A pressing, prismatic prison—"Incarceration" is Leon Aarts' Basquiat behind bars, his Picasso in lockdown, interlocking urban faces into a vibrant vise of confinement with unyielding stride.

Incarceration, by Leon Aarts . Acrylics on hardboard, (for sale)

185 views

Art 25 Oct 2025
I AM (it is but Graffiti) by Leon Aarts, Gifted to C.Cowan, and has no reference to Mc.Cahon whom I will always admire without question.

This acrylic-on-paper work, "I AM" (2009) by Leon Aarts (b. 1961, Christchurch, New Zealand), is a raw, graffiti-caged declaration—the phrase "I AM" shattered across a 2×2 grid like a broken billboard, each letter warped. But respects unequivocally the sheer brilliance of Colin McCahon.

I AM (Graffiti) by Leon Aarts

179 views

Art 25 Oct 2025
I AM on paper by Leon Aarts (gifted to C. Cowan)

Final Verdict: ★★★★½ (4.5/5) A gritty, gripping prototype—"I AM" on paper is Leon Aarts’ Basquiat sketchbook page, his Rauschenberg in miniature, trapping the self in urban scripture before letting it run.

I AM on paper by Leon Aarts

162 views

Comedy 25 Oct 2025
'I AM-running around in circles' by Leon Aarts acrylics on panel (gifted to Janice)

Final Verdict: ★★★★★ (5/5) A brilliant, biting self-roast—"I AM Running Around in Circles" is Leon Aarts’ Basquiat meets Beckett, his Sisyphus with a sandwich board, turning existential dread into droll performance art.

I AM running around in circles, by Leon Aarts (gifted to Janice)

152 views

Art 25 Oct 2025
End of the Road for Lewis and Clark, acrylics on canvas board by Leon Aarts (for sale)

Final Verdict: ★★★★★ (5/5) A sweeping, soul-stilling masterpiece—"End of the Road for Lewis and Clark" is Leon Aarts’ McCahon meets Manifest Destiny, his final frontier in Canterbury gold, where exploration meets its quiet, snow-capped grave.

End of the road for Lewis and Clark, by Leon Aarts (for sale)

166 views

Art 25 Oct 2025
Moonscape by Leon Aarts, acrylics on panel 2007, for sale

Final Verdict: ★★★★½ (4.5/5) A luminous, lunar liturgy—"Moonscape" is Leon Aarts’ Redon in orbit, his night prayer on alien soil, turning cosmic void into sacred ground.

Moonscape by Leon Aarts. Acrylics on panel. 2007, for sale

161 views

Art 25 Oct 2025
Stepping Out by Leon Aarts (for sale)

This acrylic painting, "Stepping Out" (2010) by Leon Aarts (b.

Stepping Out by Leon Aarts acrylics on panel. (for sale)

161 views

Art 25 Oct 2025
Noding Of by Leon Aarts (sold)

Final Verdict: ★★★★½ (4.5/5) A tender, typographic triumph—"Nodding Off" is Leon Aarts’ lullaby in pigment, his Davis meets Dali, turning the humble nap into a monumental fold.

Nodding Off, by Leon Aarts

148 views

Art 25 Oct 2025
'Bull Rush', by Leon Aarts (for sale)

This acrylic painting, "Bull Rush" (c. 2003) by Leon Aarts (b. 1961, Christchurch, New Zealand), is a ferocious, fragmented charge—a hulking bovine form splintered into jagged horns and thrusting limbs, rampaging across a crimson chaos of abstracted arena sands, as if Picasso's Minotaur has burst free from the labyrinth and into a Fauvist frenzy.

Bull Rush by Leon Aarts, acrylics on board (for sale)

155 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
The Javelin Thrower (c.2002) by Leon Aarts (sold)

This acrylic painting, "The Javelin Thrower" (c.

Javelin Thrower by Leon Aarts acrylics on panel (sold)

167 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
Jetson, by Leon Aarts acrylics on board c. 2006

This acrylic-on-board painting, "Jetson" (2006) by Leon Aarts (b.

Jetson, acrylics on panel (for sale)

124 views

Earthquakes 24 Oct 2025
Vortex by Leon Aarts 2012

This acrylic painting, "Vortex" (2012) by Leon Aarts (b.

Vortex by Leon Aarts (2012) for sale

145 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
Vortex, 2012, acrylics on board by Leon Aarts (for sale)

This acrylic painting, "Vortex" (2012) by Leon Aarts (b.

130 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
Voodoo in Papua New Guinea 2002 (sold)

This acrylic painting, "Voodoo Papua New Guinea" (2002) by Leon Aarts (b.

Voodoo in Papua New Guinea by Leon Aarts, acrylics on canvas board (sold)

199 views

Architecture 24 Oct 2025
Slide by Leon Aarts, acrylics on board c. 2004

This acrylic painting, "Slide" (2004) by Leon Aarts (b.

Slide, by Leon Aarts Acrylics on board (for sale)

537 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
The Gendarme is busy 2004

Final Verdict: ★★★★☆ (4/5) A rollicking romp of rebellion—"The Gendarme is Busy" is Leon Aarts' sideshow of the surveilled, his Picasso under the big top, turning watchful eyes into willful blind spots with gleeful gusto.

The Gendarme is busy, by Leon Aarts (sold)

119 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
Early Morning Rugby Hagley Park 2009, (sold)

This acrylic painting, "Early Morning Rugby Hagley Park 2009" (2009) by Leon Aarts (b.

Early Morning Rugby Hagley Park, by Leon Aarts (sold)

115 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
Immigrant by Leon Aarts acrylics on canvas board 2007 (for sale)

This acrylic painting, "Immigrant" (2007) by Leon Aarts (b.

Immigrant, by Leon Aarts, 2007.

127 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
Christchurch Post Quake 2010 by Leon Aarts (for sale)

This acrylic painting, "Christchurch Post Quake 2010" (2010) by Leon Aarts (b.

Christchurch Post Quake 2010, by Leon Aarts . Acrylics on panel 2010 (for sale)

317 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
Bring on the Clowns (2010) by Leon Aarts (for sale)

This acrylic painting, "Bring on the Clowns" (2010) by Leon Aarts (b.

Bring on the Clowns by Leon Aarts acrylics on board 2010 (for sale)

118 views

Business 24 Oct 2025
'Fix It' by Leon Aarts

This acrylic painting, "Fix It" (2010) by Leon Aarts (b.

Fix it by Leon Aarts (sold)

544 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
'Faces in the Crowd', by Leon Aarts (sold)

This acrylic painting, "Faces in the Crowd" (2010) by Leon Aarts (b.

Faces in the Crowds

127 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
'Orpheus', by Leon Aarts, acrylics on canvas

This acrylic painting, "Orpheus" (2009) by Leon Aarts

'Orpheus', acrylics on canvas by Leon Aarts 2010

122 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
'Man Playing Mandolin' mixed media on board, by Leon Aarts (for sale)

This acrylic painting, "Man Playing Mandolin" (2010) by Leon Aarts (b.1961, Christchurch, New Zealand), is a blues-drenched, Orphic nocturne—a single figure fused with his instrument in a swirling cobalt vortex, as if Orpheus had traded his lyre for a battered mandolin and descended into Delta blues Hades.

'Man Playing Mandolin', by Leon Aarts, mixed media, acrylics, on hardwood. (for sale)

152 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
'Man' oils on canvas by Leon Aarts (1982) (for sale)

This oil painting, "Man" (1982) by Leon Aarts (b.

'Man' oils on canvas board by Leon Aarts c.1982 (for sale-framed)

134 views

News 24 Oct 2025
'Lust for Life' (from an Iggy Pop song) by Leon Aarts (for Sale)

"Lust for Life" (2009) by Leon Aarts (b.

'Lust For Life' (from a song by Iggy Pop) acrylics on board (for sale)

118 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
'Living Stream'

This pastels on wooden board, "Living Stream" (2018) by Leon Aarts (b. 1961, Christchurch, New Zealand), is a radiant ode to the life force of nature—a serene riverbank scene that pulses with quiet vitality.

'Living Stream' by Leon Aarts, pastels on wood panel

108 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
'Lateralus'' (a Tool song) by Leon Aarts

The Carrier: The figure cradles a dark, rounded form—Eurydice's head, the self, or the unborn. This is Orpheus succeeding—and failing—at once.

'Lateralus' (a song title by Tool) acrylics on canvas by Leon Aarts (sold)

114 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
'Kiwi' acrylics on board, by Leon Aarts, (For Sale)

This large-scale acrylic painting, "Kiwi" (2016) by Leon Aarts (b. 1961, Christchurch, New Zealand), is a fiery, primordial forest—a mythic New Zealand bush re imagined as living entrails.

'Kiwi' by Leon Aarts, acrylics on board (for sale)

111 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
Çossack, acrylics on canvas by Leon Aarts

This acrylic painting, "Cossack" (2010) by Leon Aarts (b. 1961, Christchurch, New Zealand), is a joyous, kinetic explosion—a Cossack dancer mid-leap frozen in Cubist-Expressionist ecstasy.

'Cossack' by Leon Aarts, acrylics on canvas (collection)

97 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
'Above and Below' by Leon Aarts

Final Verdict: ★★★★½ (4.5/5) A quiet masterpiece of Aarts’ oeuvre—"Ábove and Below" achieves what few expressionists dare: philosophical rigor through formal restraint.

'Above and Below' acrylics on canvas by Leon Aarts (collection)

85 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
''Cogito Ergo Sum'' in oils on canvas by Leon Aarts

Final Verdict: ★★★★☆ (4/5) A rusty, riveting manifesto on the thinking self, "Cogito Ergo Sum" captures Aarts at his most inventively tormented—oils as oil-slicked synapses, churning doubt into defiant presence.

Cogito Ergo Sum

113 views

Art 24 Oct 2025
Redemption by Leon Aarts

Final Verdict: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) A powerful, original work that successfully marries Cubist structure with Expressionist emotion.

Redemption

106 views

Art 21 Oct 2025
'The Elephant in The Room' Painting

Title: The Elephant in the Room Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Dimensions: 750mm × 750mm Date: 18 October 2025 "The Elephant in the Room" confronts the tension between what is seen and what is suppressed.

201 views