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Jan Wisse
​​“La condition humaine”—the human condition—is central to my work, where I strive to present life’s complexities with a touch of humor and elements of unreality. My paintings reflect reality through my eyes.”
– Jan Wisse
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Jan Wisse is a Dutch-born artist whose work addresses both historic imagery and contemporary painting. Deeply inspired by classical masters, such as Caravaggio and Rubens but also a great lover of modern and contemporary masters. His paintings combine a strong evocative content of universal themes, imaginative worlds, mastering composition and painterly exploration. The works feature a unique blend of reality and fantasy.
17th-century soldiers alongside contemporary debris containers, whimsical bumper cars resting on a lawn, or a drowned caravan near a frog.
These juxtapositions challenge perceptions and invite viewers to reimagine the world through his eyes.
Jan combines his academic training with modern techniques to masterfully craft compositions that reflect his keen observation and painterly exploration.
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Born in Leiden, The Netherlands (1955)
Living and working in Delft
​Artistic Philosophy
Jan’s work is deeply rooted in his exploration of “la condition humaine”. His paintings invite reflection on the human experience, offering subtle humor and alternative realities.
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“I tend to give the ordinary and sometimes dreary aspects of life a humorous twist, or turn it into an apparent unreality.”
Career Highlights​
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Graduated in Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, and Art History (ZWN Teachers’ College, Delft).
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Postgraduate studies in Art Philosophy, Art History, and Cultural History (Utrecht).
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Exhibited internationally in Europe, Asia, and the US, with extensive recognition in Singapore.
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Lecturer at De VAK – Centre of the Arts in Delft since 2005, nurturing the next generation of artists.​​
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Two National Television appearances in “Sterren op het doek”, painting Job Cohen (2012) and Tjitske Reidinga (2015).
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