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Ryan Bongers

 
R
yan Bongers was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1967.  Although the son of artist, Ria DeWit, Ryan was not taught by his mother and came to art later in his life.  After earning an undergraduate degree in English Literature and Philosophy at the College of William and Mary, Ryan traveled around Europe and worked at various jobs before deciding to focus on art.

 

 From 1990 until 1993, he attended the Pennsylvania School of Art and Design, studying privately with Richard House, a classical painter who trained only a small number of selected students in the style of the old masters.  In 1994, Ryan continued his studies at the prestigious Florence Academy of Art in Italy.

 

Working in oil, Ryan’s painting focuses mainly on figurative works, with an occasional still life or mindscape.  He sees his paintings as attempts to be as open and honest about his subject matter as possible.  Each painting has its own source or inspiration, whether from a direct personal contact or a simple study of a thing discovered.  Regardless, Ryan strives to capture the essence of each subject without pretense. 

 

While some of his paintings are reminiscent of the old masters, others are surprisingly off beat.  All are perfectly executed, highly atmospheric, very personal and often haunting.

 

After several years painting in the Netherlands, Ryan moved to Hamburg, Germany in 2000, where he is currently living and painting.  His work has been exhibited in both Europe and the United States. 

 

Since 2006, Ryan’s work in the United States have appeared exclusively at Trowbridge-Lewis Galleries, where he is considered one of the most talented young artists painting today.