Figurative art - Francien Krieg - Realism Today
Francien Krieg, “Lights and Shadows,” oil on linen, 2018, 80 x 100 cm

Meet this week’s top Realism Today Ambassador, Francien Krieg, whose works honor new life and the unpredictable, continuous life that is subject to change thereafter.

It is clear that the work of Francien Krieg (www.francienkrieg.com) consists mainly of portraits. Especially older women are her “pivotal works.” It, therefore, seems that her paintings have only one subject. This is not the case.

The private sphere of her beloved family also offers interesting possibilities. She projects her artistic vision for them and uses them to depict themes of birth, love, protection, education, and child development. Over the last few years, Francien has created a series of paintings that stylistically dovetails into its overall work. This interesting new series came about with the birth of her long-desired second child, Benjamin. Strong emotion is evident in all these paintings, which characterize both herself and her family.

The concept of the young family is artfully explored in light of this introspection. She says about this series: “The growth of a child is profoundly beautiful, but also something sad for me, slightly melancholic; it adds up to what is fleeting.”

The series consists of paintings in different formats, in alternating soft and harder colors, containing exciting patterns and compositions. The paintings shed light on concepts such as birth and family, in which the symbolism of what passes is noticeable. Personal identity is an unusual image to denote something definitive: new life and the unpredictable, continuous life that is subject to change thereafter.

The series of family portraits gives a new and different impetus to Francien’s oeuvre. It matches the essential element of her work: She keeps in touch with her personal and primary creative urge, in which the human body is central and impermanence is the core. Moreover, she demonstrates the growing development of her talent. The essence of all her realism work involves the creation of an interaction between the viewer and the painting, the hallmark of fine art.

Narrative portrait painting - Francien Krieg - RealismToday.com
Francien Krieg, “Survivors,” oil on linen, 2018, 120 x 100 cm

“The time is ticking and the fear of the ending of our lives that awaits us all is the red line in my works,” Krieg says. “The latest works, which show mostly my family’s daily life, have a melancholic atmosphere around them. This mood is for me about the feeling of time passing much faster when you have children, and somehow I want to hold on to some memories to make them timeless. For me these emotions are not negative at all; it is about dealing with death that makes us feel alive I think.”

Francien Krieg, “Patterns of Life,” oil on linen, 2018, 120 x 100 cm
Francien Krieg, “Patterns of Life,” oil on linen, 2018, 120 x 100 cm

Learn about Francien Krieg’s new book on painting the elderly female figure, titled Precious Bodies, at https://francienkrieg.com/book/3434/precious-bodies.


Visit EricRhoads.com (Publisher of Realism Today) to learn about opportunities for artists and art collectors, including Art Retreats – International Art Trips – Art Conventions – Art Workshops (in person and online, including Realism Live) – And More!