"I see a great unstoppable revolution of women lifting their brushes, making their mark, and cultivating beauty…No one can predict, or even conceive of, what ramifications will follow this complete takeover of the earth"
Elli Milan: "Wild Man, Beautiful Woman: The Unanswered Question of Adam and Eve", 2025
Contemporary painter Anneli van Laak, born 1960 in Dinslaken/Germany, residing and working in Amarante/Portugal, creates multi-layered paintings in an abstract-realistic style whose subject is self-development in relationships.
The motives are mostly drawn from nature, the expression of the Divine Feminine, like assemblies of leaves, blossoms, birds, stones which represent inner psychological and outer socio-political processes, based on the hermetic principle of “as inside, so outside”. She sees both challenged by the existential dualism of living “between Heaven and Earth”, the spiritual and the sensual realm, and by the epochal struggle for preserving humanity against transhumanism. Her dynamic paintings combine the inspiration by old master techniques with modern mixed media possibilities.
Complex underpaintings, often with pouring techniques using, acrylics, inks and metal fluids, pigments, sand, different texture pastes, markers and spray paint with stencils, collages of paper, metal foils, natural material or fine fabrics are the basis for her envisioned composition and color story.
A refinement with oil paint, wax or resin preserves fragile objects and reveals delicate details and structures as well as the beauty of naturally aged materials.
In her artwork, she emphasizes female values and strengths, such as the women’s innate power to create and to support life, take care of others, the passion for beauty and emotional delicacy and depth.
She sees herself as part of a profound corrective female dynamic in the sublime societal battle of life support vs. technocracy and globalist control.
Artist Biography
2023-2025: Mastery Graduate Program Milan Art Institute, Sarasota FL/USA
2020-2025: Freelance Artist at Atelier Leinjinha, Amarante/Portugal Advanced Training with Stefanie Etter, Ursi Lysser, Kirsten Behme, Jupp Linssen, Bettina Reichert, Jochem Ahmann. Ridhwan Spiritual Studies
2016-2020: Artist at Atelier A21, Oberursel/Germany & Atelier Cavallini I, Monte Antico/Italy
2007-2012: Degree Studies Buddhism, Tibetan Center Hamburg/Germany
2005-2016: Freelance Artist at Kunsthaus K22, Curator, Art Instructor, Event Manager, Oberursel/Germany
2000-2005: Art Classes with Artist Helmut Jahn and Stefan Melzl, Nino Pezella, Städel Frankfurt/Germany
1978- 2000: Teacher Training, Postgraduate Studies USA, Doctoral Studies in Education, Parenting
1976-1978: Art Education with Artist Alfred Grimm (Beuys Scholar), Dinslaken/Germany
Education/Training
2008-2016: Art Curator, Workshop Instructor, Event Manager, Speaker at Kunsthaus K22, Oberursel
Professional contributions
Studio Leinjinha, Amarante/Portugal
Atelier A21, Oberursel/Germany
Kunsthaus K22, Oberursel/Germany
Galerie Hofmann, Oberursel/Germany
Gallery at Newsky Prospect, St. Petersburg/Russia
Arthouse Anjou, Lomonossow/Russia
Atelier Cavallini I, Monte Antico/Italy
Notable exhibitions
Museum of Modern Art, Peterhof/Russia
Anneli van Laak is collected by various private collectors in Germany, Italy, Russia and Portugal
Selected collections
Blossoming
Leaving
Flying
Recent Series (2023-2025)
Ascending
Connecting
Liberating