Portfolio
Works for inspiration
An overview of work by Henk van Dam for inspiration — no longer for sale, but an impression of his style, subjects and development over time. Click on a work to enlarge it, or ask for more information via the CONTACT button.
No. 1
Two models
Two figures in motion, caught in pink and olive green — one with an arm behind the head, the other bent forward. On the left a figure is drawn almost entirely in a pale, purple contour line, the body left nearly white. Beside it, on the right, a deep red, almost magenta patch dominates and fills the silhouette of the second figure, with broad olive-brown strokes for an outstretched arm. The two figures share the sheet without overlapping — two separate observations, placed side by side within the same short session.
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No. 2
Model, reclining
A reclining figure seen from above, in soft green and purple tones. The body is enclosed by a thick purple contour line that winds across the paper like a loop, while the plane itself is built up from broken green and beige, with pink strokes indicating the skin. The head, painted warm brown, sits at the bottom of the sheet — the composition is deliberately turned upside down, as if the viewer had walked around the figure rather than standing before it.
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No. 3
Two models, standing
Two overlapping standing figures, reduced to green planes and a loose contour line. The front figure is drawn with a thick, dark contour, its body filled with a cool, bluish green; the second, behind it, is warmer and darker in colour, with a single face just visible above the shoulder of the first figure. The lines of both figures run into each other, so that arms and shoulders can no longer be clearly assigned to one body.
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No. 4
Model, seated
Seated figure with arm resting on the knee, a pensive pose in warm skin tones and blue linework. The head is slightly bowed, the gaze downward, while a deep red line marks the edge of a shawl or wrap over the shoulder. The blue pencil line circles the whole pose like a loose, quickly drawn frame, with places where the line repeats the shape several times. It is a restrained, inward-turned study, without the bright colour contrasts of much other work in the same series.
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No. 5
Model, colour study
A loose, colourful studied figure with a lively play of lines in blue, ochre and green. Across the torso two dark red lines cross in an X shape, while the lower body is built up from a tangle of blue and green scribbles that cannot be reduced to a clear contour. The figure looks as if in motion, almost dancing, with colour functioning more as energy than as a description of skin or clothing.
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No. 6
Model, profile
Seated figure in profile, warm earth tones with a single red accent line. The head is drawn with a few confident lines in burgundy and dark brown, the torso filled with a broken, cream-coloured tone suggesting the light on the skin. A thin green line at the neck is the only cool note in an otherwise entirely warm palette. The pose is calm, with the focus clearly on the profile of the face.
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No. 7
Model, twisted
A twisting, dynamic pose, built up from broad, warm strokes of brown and burgundy. Across the shoulder and torso two dark red bands cross like a sash or strap, while the bottom of the sheet dissolves into a tangle of blue-green scribbles. The head is set down with quick, dark lines, the gaze turned slightly away from the viewer. There is little room for detail — the energy of the twist itself is the subject here, not the anatomy.
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No. 8
Model with green cloth
Seated model in a green garment, warmer and more portrait-like in execution than most of the studies. The face receives unusually careful attention here: the eyes, nose and mouth are indicated with small, precise touches, something largely absent from most other model studies. The green garment forms a bright block at the centre of the composition, flanked by an orange-red shawl falling loosely over the shoulder. It is one of the few works in the series in which the identity of the model becomes almost tangible.
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No. 9
Model, leaning
Leaning figure, with an unusually detailed face: reddish, orange hair falls loose over the shoulder, with a few confident lines for the eyes and mouth. The body itself remains vaguer, built from soft grey, pink and blue planes. A thick, dark branch- or arm-like line cuts diagonally through the composition. The contrast between the sharply observed face and the loose, hazy body is unusual for the series.
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No. 10
Model, seated
Seated figure, seen from the side or from behind, painted largely in white and cream with thin, drawn contours. A thin red line runs diagonally through the torso, like a scar or a shaft of light. On the right, a few blue-green strokes suggest a chair or piece of furniture. The predominantly pale, transparent execution gives the figure something sparse, almost translucent.
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No. 11
Model, reclining
Reclining figure against a fresh green background, the body in cool, blue-grey tones with a thick, dark contour line. The blonde hair receives an unexpectedly vivid blue accent, possibly a pair of glasses, while the face is indicated with a few soft lines. The vivid, complementary combination of green and blue-grey gives the sheet a surprisingly fresh, almost summery character.
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No. 12
Model, crossed arms
Figure with crossed arms, the body painted entirely in muted olive green and khaki, with a dark, purplish-brown contour line holding the form together. The hands, loosely folded in the lap, are worked out with slightly more precision than the rest of the body. Two thin, bright green lines at the legs are the only note that departs from the otherwise even palette.
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No. 13
Model, diagonal
Figure placed diagonally across the sheet, in a light pink and white garment with a bright red diagonal stripe running across the torso. At the bottom a dark olive green plane fills the corner of the composition. The diagonal construction gives the figure a sense of falling or motion, as if she is about to slide off the sheet.
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No. 14
Model, close-up
Close-up of a reclining model, the emphasis entirely on the face and upper body, in soft peach and pink washes. A bright red line accentuates the edge of a shoulder or garment, while dark, olive-coloured strands of hair fall across the forehead. The extreme closeness of the composition gives the sheet an intimate, almost photographic quality.
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No. 15
Model, stretched out
Stretched, reclining figure, the whole body wrapped in a haze of mauve and purple chalk lines drawn criss-crossing over one another. A small red accent at the head is the only vivid colour in an otherwise restrained, monochrome composition. The length of the pose and the dense, woven linework give the figure an almost textile, woven quality.
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No. 16
Model, reclining in green
Reclining figure in a fresh, yellow-green field, with warm-toned skin and dark hair falling loosely over the pillow. A small red detail at the neck is the only vivid accent against the otherwise green and ochre composition. The combination of the warm skin tone and the fresh green gives the sheet a summery, outdoor-like atmosphere.
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No. 17
Model, blurred
A hazy, almost fading composition in muted green-grey and blue, with a deeper brown element on the right reading as a shoulder or bent arm. A thin, purplish line encircles part of the form, while a small orange-red mark at lower left is the only vivid colour. The blurred, merging planes make it hard to discern a single pose — the sheet breathes an atmosphere more than a sharply observed figure.
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No. 18
Model, seated in pink
A dense, expressive composition in dark green-black and deep red, with a crossing, almost woven pattern of brushstrokes at the centre. On the right the composition lightens, with soft, sage-like green tones and a thin blue line framing the form. The intense, almost opaque layers of colour give the sheet a density unusual for the series.
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No. 19
Model, sketch
Seated figure seen from behind, the garment painted in deep red and burgundy tones against a soft background without detail, with a touch of green. An olive-coloured band or strap runs over the shoulder. The figure is set down in thick, pasty paint, with little linework — the form arises mainly from the colour contrast between the warm red and the pale surroundings.
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No. 20
Model, lying
Figure in a reclining or hunched pose, the head in profile at lower left set down with a few confident lines. The body stretches diagonally across the sheet in pale cream and green tones, its outline only loosely indicated in pencil. The composition leaves much white paper open, giving the figure a light, almost floating presence.
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No. 21
Reclining model
Reclining nude, the face reduced to a play of coloured planes. The body stretched out at length, without unnecessary detail, with an accent of a hand at the waist.
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No. 22
Model, reclining in white
Reclining figure, kept largely in white and cream, with a compact blue plane at the torso and a deep red, draped cloth over the lower body. The face, in soft peach, is indicated with a few lines, the gaze directed upward. The predominantly pale tone and the generous open white of the paper give the figure a floating, almost sparse presence.
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No. 23
Model, abstract
Seated figure, with an unusually colourful face in which bright blue eyes and red accents light up against a pale yellow skin tone. The torso is outlined with thin, dark green contour lines, with an orange plane for the upper body. At the bottom a small pink-red detail at the foot gives just enough colour to ground the figure. It is one of the more painterly, colourful sheets in the series.
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No. 24
Model, reclining landscape
Abstract, landscape-like composition in green, ochre and blue, in which a figure and a setting merge into one another. At upper right a small, lighter element appears in white and yellow, perhaps a head or shoulder, while the rest of the sheet is dominated by broad, undulating strokes that could equally pass for a reclining body or a rolling landscape. The title points precisely to this ambiguity between figure and landscape.
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No. 25
Model, portrait
A portrait in which the face is worked out with unusual precision against an otherwise loosely sketched body. The hair is dark blue, almost black, while the face itself is built up in soft pink and blue tones, with an olive-yellow mark at the neck. Blue chalk lines cross in dense, diamond-shaped patterns over the torso, like a web indicating the light on the skin. At lower left a single, bright orange vertical stripe is the only colour accent outside the figure itself.
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No. 26
Model, two forms
A reclining body, reduced to two large, rounded forms in cream and peachy pink — the torso and the pelvis, set down as two separate volumes side by side. On the right a small, blue-outlined head closes off the composition, with a red accent for the mouth. Thin green and burgundy lines mark where the forms meet. It is a study that comes closer to the sculptural construction of the body than to an anecdotal pose.
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No. 27
Model, purple cloth
Seated figure in a purple garment, with dark hair falling as a heavy mass over the shoulder. The face is built up with small, vivid touches of yellow, blue and red, surprisingly detailed for the series. The purple garment itself forms a solid block at the centre of the composition, held together by a green ribbon winding loosely over it. A dark, navy blue background gives the figure extra weight and depth, unusual for the otherwise pale, open sheets from the same period.
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No. 28
Model, faint line
An extremely sparse, almost vanishing figure study. The body is little more than a thin, pencilled line pulling up to a vague head at upper right, with a haze of yellow and ochre around it. The rest of the sheet is dominated by a long, horizontal orange line stretching all the way to the left — a trace that could equally be an arm, a shadow, or simply a stray brushstroke. Of all the sheets in the series, this is one of the emptiest and most withdrawn.
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No. 29
Model, seated in pink
Seated figure in predominantly soft pink and pale yellow tones, the head with blond and greenish hair bowed down. At the bottom of the sheet a bright pink, almost crimson patch breaks through the otherwise pastel composition — an intense accent drawing the eye to the lower part of the figure. The lines of the body are barely present, as if colour here preceded form.
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No. 30
Two models, pastel
Two figures side by side, both built up in soft pastel colours. On the left stands a figure in a deep pink dress, the head barely indicated; on the right a second, with blonde-green hair and pale blue and green clothing, worked out slightly more fully with an undulating green line along the arm. The two figures share the same airy, almost softened tone, as if both were washed over by the same waxy layer of paint.
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No. 31
Model, reclining in white
A reclining model, left almost entirely in white, with only a small, warm brown and purple face on the left anchoring the figure. A faint pink mark at the top of the sheet could be a draped garment or a pillow. The rest of the body consists almost entirely of the texture of the thick, white paint itself — no lines, no contours, only the play of light across an uneven surface.
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No. 32
Model, line study
A pure line study, in which ochre-coloured lines form an angular, almost architectural pattern more reminiscent of a geometric construction than a body. On the right, smaller and set apart, a second little figure is sketched in green and red, with thin vertical lines for the legs. The two parts of the sheet — the large play of lines on the left, the small figure on the right — read more as experiments placed side by side than as one coherent composition.
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No. 33
Model, colour patches
A very loose, almost abstract composition in which a figure is barely recognisable. A deep red, almost burgundy patch at upper left could be a head, connected by a long, winding orange line to a cluster of green and white marks at the centre. Blue accents cross through the composition. The whole reads as a series of loose notations that never resolve into a single body.
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No. 34
Model study
Composition in a pale, almost translucent tone, with a single accent in the faces.
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No. 35
Model, leaning in blue-green
Leaning figure with a greenish head and a body in pale blue-green tones, surrounded by dynamic orange and brown chalk lines swarming around the form like energetic scribbles. The loose, quick chalk strokes contrast with the calm, washy paint beneath, as if two different drawing moments were laid over one another.
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No. 36
Model, kneeling pose
A fragmentary study of a knee or leg pose, built from short, loose strokes of blue, red and green that never resolve into a continuous contour. At lower right a solid, grey construction suggests a chair or stool. The fragmented, almost puzzle-like build makes this one of the more analytical, exploratory sheets in the series.
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No. 37
Model, green-pink
Seated figure with a green torso and a pink, draped fabric over the lower body, held together by a thin purple contour line winding around the form like a ribbon. The head is indicated with a few sober lines, the gaze cast slightly downward. The combination of the fresh green and the soft pink gives the figure an unusually decorative, almost ornamental quality.
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No. 38
Model, layered ochre
Kneeling figure, built entirely from layered ochre and orange tones, with dark green and black hair curling loosely upward. Purple chalk lines lie like a second, underlying layer over the paint, visible through and alongside the colour. The layered, almost archaeological build-up — layer over layer, line over paint — gives the sheet a rich, lived-in texture.
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No. 39
Model, pink drape
Figure with a deep red, almost crimson drape falling diagonally across the body and torso, against a pale, white-green background. The head, with dark hair, is set down with a few direct lines and an orange accent at the face. The vividness of the red drape against the otherwise restrained palette makes this fabric the undisputed centre of the composition.
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No. 40
Model, olive dynamic
Dynamic figure, the body painted largely in muted olive green with a solid, orange-brown contour line fixing the pose. At upper right a bright yellow-green element grows out of the composition, perhaps an arm or a sweep of motion. The combination of the olive green torso and the vivid, almost electric green note gives the figure a tense, energetic presence.
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No. 41
Model, dark
A very dark, almost monochrome composition in black, grey and purple, with dense, stylised brushstrokes that let almost no light through. At upper left a bright green, circular line with a red dot breaks the darkness — the only clear sign of a head or face. A thin purple line winds through the composition like a single, stray ray of light. The weight and density of the colour make this one of the most sombre sheets in the series.
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No. 42
Model, teal and orange
Seated figure, the head dark and closed, the body painted in muted olive green with dense orange chalk lines lying over it like a net. A small red and blue detail at the neck breaks the otherwise restrained palette. The combination of the dark olive green paint and the warm orange chalk structure gives the figure a grounded, almost autumnal presence.
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No. 43
Model, warm reclining
Warm, abstract composition in which a figure dissolves into broad planes of cream, brown and ochre. On the left stands a denser, darker mass reminiscent of a raised shoulder or arm, while on the right the sheet remains largely open and light, with only a faint pink mark as the sole colour accent. The warmth of the composition lies mainly in the undertone of the cream-coloured paint itself.
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No. 44
Model, olive top
Seated figure with a green-blue head and a red detail at the neck, dressed in a beige garment with olive green accents. A blue line marks the leg, while the rest of the clothing is set down with broad, woolly brushstrokes. The combination of the cool head and the warm, beige torso gives the figure a subtle temperature contrast.
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No. 45
Model, olive diagonal
Broad, abstract composition in green, pink and purple, in which the figure almost entirely dissolves into gesture and texture. Two solid olive green strokes on the left run downward as long, curved forms, while on the right a dense web of purple and black lines suggests a tangle of arms or branches. A single red line cuts horizontally through the middle. The scale and breadth of the composition give the sheet an almost landscape-like expansiveness.
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No. 46
Model study, seated
Seated, leaning backward, the body placed diagonally across the sheet and painted entirely in muted olive green. The hair is warm ochre-yellow, with a small red accent at the neck standing out as the only vivid colour. The diagonal construction and the even, green torso give the figure a taut, almost sculptural simplicity.
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No. 47
Model, monochrome reclining
Reclining figure, kept almost entirely in cream and broken white, with only a small, colourful face at right in warm brown, green and burgundy touches anchoring the composition. A thin green line connects this detail to the rest of the body. The extreme restraint of the composition, with so much paper left white, gives the whole an airy, almost hushed quality — the title 'monochrome' points precisely to this sparseness of colour.
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No. 48
Model, blue linework
Seated figure, kept largely in white and light, warm tones, with blue hair standing out as the only cool colour. A bright red, diagonal line falls across the torso, while brown and gold contours indicate the shape of a dress or garment. The lower body is built up with dense, crossing pencil lines — the title names exactly this play of blue lines as the sheet's defining feature.
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