René Tweehuysen is a painter who clearly works within the tradition of Dutch painting. His paintings have a contemporary feel, but the techniques he applies show strong similarities with those of the Masters of the 16th and 17th centuries.

René graduated from the Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU) in 1983. After completing his formal education, he spent three years studying the portrait practices and painting techniques of the Old Masters. 

His portraits are marked by a striking likeness and a deeply human, empathetic soulfulness. A face, according to Tweehuysen, is a sum of highly subtle proportions, colours, and tonal values. He aims to express the softness of human nature through a richness of paint material in his portraits. He achieves this by building up his paintings in multiple layers.

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René begins with a grisaille underpainting. He then continues by painting layer upon layer using oil paint and tempera, alternating between subtle and broad brushstrokes. Once the final layer has dried thoroughly, he deepens the colours and shadows using highly diluted oil paint (glazes).

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Through this slow and meticulous process, his paintings evolve into works that radiate character, wonder, and painterly beauty.