In the latest edition of our interview series, we once again dive into the world of minimalist aesthetics. In inspiring conversations with creative minds from the fields of architecture, design, and art, we explore how they are guided by their vision and how they express it in their works. Along the way, they provide us with interesting insights into their creative process and reveal how they perceive and shape the world. This time, I had the pleasure of having an inspiring conversation with Nuria Maria.
Dutch artist Nuria Maria (b. 1990) captures the unique atmosphere of moments, memories and light in her abstract paintings. Growing up in a family of artists, she developed a close connection to art at an early age – an influence that has shaped her career to this day. While her early works were figurative, she now focuses on the interplay of color, form, and structure.
In this interview, I talk to Nuria about her artistic journey, her fascination with color and her connection to nature. She also shares personal insights into her painting practice and what drives her in the creative process.
Nuria, thank you so much for your time! How would you describe your work to someone who has never seen it?
An abstracted depiction of natural shapes composed with a few colors where the canvas seems to convey a part of a bigger scene.
You come from a family of artists – to what extent has this fact influenced your artistic development and how did it happen that you first studied cultural sciences and psychology?
I feel safe to say this completely shaped me. Not only my art, but also my person. It influenced what I find important in life, how I work, how I look at the world, the techniques I use, and the discipline I bring to my practice. And I am still very close with my family on the artistic level as well. They taught me everything about the life as an artist.
And thinking of this comes with such a strong atmosphere of their work, and their studios: My dad’s (Thomas Junghans) big stone atelier with high walls – a dark space, filled with wooden and bronze sculptures. Very mysterious and heavy in an impressive and intriguing way. And then there’s my mom’s (Siiri Spronken) atelier – I basically grew up there. We have had and still have brilliant times in that space. It’s a light, warm big space under a high roof, with light coming from above. I spend so much time there with her, talking about the works mostly, listening to music, drinking wine, dancing. It reminds me of summer.
In my dads studio the visits are always a bit shorter, simply because it’s just way too cold! But the impact it has on my paintings; I would have no idea how I would paint without that. My mother’s parents were also artists. I never got to know my grandmother (Varpu Tikanoja), unfortunately. She made beautiful paintings, often of the Finish Landscape, the particular light of the North and the specific melancholic undertone. She met my granddad (Arthur Spronken) in Milan at the art academy there – he was a sculptor. For him, how I know him, art and life, that was just one and the same thing.
As for my brief time at university (Cultural Knowledge at UvA Amsterdam, Psychology at UvT Tilburg): looking back, I actually have no idea why I chose that path. It feels a bit ridiculous that I decided to do this. But back then it felt so logical to go to university. I loved writing – about art and in general. But once I was there, all I could think was: I don’t want to write about art or study it; I want to make it myself.
Your earlier paintings were figurative, but then you became more abstract in your work. Can you tell us what influence this development has had on your art practice and how it has taken place?
The works became more abstract because I started to focus more on the pure color, structure and forms without wanting to give a measurable size-indication to refer to. I think it’s these two things that made the major shift: taking away any form or size that we can refer to, and focusing on color and shape. I was very excited to let this go. It felt like I broke through something for myself, but it took me a while before I allowed myself to do so.
But now a new shift is happening in my work.
Where I am working now offered me a new direction in my work for the show ‘Zilver’ with Cadogan Gallery. The studio I am working in, in the South of Limburg, overlooks the hills and willow trees and this surroundings’ beautiful atmosphere depicts itself through the windows in between my paintings while I work. The view started to interact with my paintings and finally, I started to let a more impressionist / figurative form in my work again. It feels like coming home being here in Limburg again and integrating this landscape into my work. I am very thankful to the couple that offered me this space and view.
Your works are characterized by intense and deep colors. Tell us more about how you choose your color palette and where your fascination with color comes from.
I choose my color palette from everywhere. I am completely obsessed with color. With everything that fascinates me color wise I feel an urge to capture it in a painting. Obviously, I get a lot of inspiration from nature. But also making small color arrangements in the house with random things, clothes, fruit, stuff on the table, things in my cabinets; it goes quite far, I spend a lot of time making color combinations everywhere I spend my time.
I can spend hours putting books in the right order so the colors are coordinated as I like them, I collect things purely for their color, I even do my groceries based on the color packaging. I am sure some people recognize this behavior, though!
The works became more abstract because I started to focus more on the pure color, structure and forms without wanting to give a measurable size-indication to refer to.
In your paintings, you explore subjects such as memories, landscapes, the weather, and the atmosphere of a certain moment. How do you decide which memory or moment makes it onto your canvas?
Good question. It’s more an urge than a rational decision. I like to (or tend to) really dive deep in it when a moment has something special. Either good or bad. And capturing it afterwards for me makes my life what it is. Time, light, love, sadness, the smell of spring; all these things, everything passes. Making paintings about them, it’s almost an ode to the way time works as it is at the same time a way of dealing with a certain harshness of nature, life.
I listened to a beautiful thought about this topic, I find a great truth in it; it’s from Andy Warhol: “And your own life while it’s happening to you never has any atmosphere until it’s a memory.”
How do you know when that feeling has been properly captured? How do you deal with it when a work doesn’t turn out the way you imagined it?
I think that’s almost one of the moments that defines you who you are as an artist. And I think it’s very intuitive. It’s the moment when I think, I could add this color, or make a certain shape heavier, lighter – and when then you think; I could do that, it could even be better – but – it would take away the atmosphere it has now. What is important to me in the end is the feeling a painting gives you. And when that feeling is right, the painting is finished.
When this doesn’t happen, I go on and on and on to achieve it. Sometimes it works, it’s a frustrating process when this happens. It really affects my mood. But I learn a lot from these paintings. And a few of them come out with something new, something you’ve conquered, so to say.
What is important to me in the end is the feeling a painting gives you.
What if you had to translate your art into music? What genre, song, or musician would best represent your art style?
Not that it has very much to do with each other; Simones work was very political, and mine is not at all – but what I’d hope my work would be like as a song, in the intention: would perhaps be a Nina Simone song. Straight from the heart. Unapologetic yet romantic. With a classic undertone and an uncontrollable need to express yourself. Driven by emotions and an ongoing beat.
What plans or goals do you have for the future of your artistic career? Are there any subjects or techniques that you would like to explore further?
Apart from the techniques I would like to explore further; I’m working more and more with oil paints (water mixable oil paints so that I can still keep a certain speed in the painting process) and lots of different types of canvasses.
But apart from that, the building process and result of my barn will be a very big step in my career: I bought a barn in the countryside which I’m turning into a house and big studio space. It overlooks the hills and offers so much space and a way to focus on my work that I never had before. I am absolutely thrilled about this!
