Carla Van de Puttelaar is a brilliant Dutch photographer and Art historian, born in Zaandam in ’67.
She specialized in portrait and nudes and her use of light is legendary. Her reference are many, including the Old Masters and Dutch and Scottish seventeenth and early eighteenth century portraiture. She gained innumerous prizes, she has been interviewed by the New Yorker and New York Times and her pictures have become covers for many publications.
When you look at one of her marvelous picture you feel rapt and mesmerized, as you are facing something sacre. Van de Puttelaar as Orlando is a fan of details and is a pleasure to give you, our reader, the chance to read about her vision.

You are naturally attracted by how the light interacts with people and by the texture of the skin. You have captured in your pictures goosebumps, moles and other tactile details that appear on the skin surface. What fascinate you most of the light and of the human skin? And how they become your artistic trademark? 

I have always been fascinated by natural light . The immense diversity and beauty of it. The unexpected changes that result in intense moments of beauty. And I am intrigued by people and of course the human skin. This skin that holds us together, through which our veins shines through like grey blue rivers. The structure, the blushes, the tiny hairs, the tactility of it, the ability to react on touches, the sensuality of it, it is pure magic. 

Have you always thought you would have become an artist ? When did you realize it and how did you start?

I think that I somehow always knew. I have been drawing and painting portraits since childhood and at school I was always seen as the artist. I tried a lot of different techniques, but mostly in painting.  However, because I am a quick learner, my parents suggested that I would go to university instead of the art academy, and I did, but I later went to the Rietveld Academy, as I am and always will be a passionate artist. 

If you would have not followed this career, what do you think you would have done?

I am also an art historian, and finished my PhD in 2017, and published it in December 2021 last year. I am very proud of what I achieved as a researcher. I love to learn, each day. To explore parts of art history that were previous overlooked. To bring the past back to life and in contact with a larger audience. In a way I feel like a detective, always searching and hunting for knowledge and ‘lost’ information.  Interestingly I had another interview recently in which I was asked the same question and I answered that I may have chosen to become a judge.

Tell us about the milestones of your creative career. Which particular moments have influenced you most and how they have directed your path?

One of first was at art school where one of my teachers in the first year, Rob Slooten, kindled my passion for photography and instead of going to the painting department, I went to study photography. And I won the Esther Kroon prize for my graduation project. A few years after I finished art school, I had a wonderful solo exhibition at Van Zoetendaal Gallery , followed in 2004 by my first monograph on my photographic work, which was enriched by a magnificent essay by one of my most favorite writers of all time: Rudy Kousbroek. It was very important to have a good start like this. It gave me confidence. Besides that I was nominated for important prizes, such as the Prix de Rome, where I won the Basic Prize and the Prix Découverte d’Arles.

Explain us your creative process and your approach to the single picture. 

I start with an idea and a studio set up, and then I try to come to a magical moment in which everything falls in place. Often it happens very unexpectedly.

Which type of light you usually use?

Natural light

How do you manage the intimacy with the model you portray in your nudes?

It is not there, really. I am so busy observing and striving to make the best photos, and this completely absorbs me. To catch the right moments, the perfect light, to observe the essence of a model and then to translate it into a visual image. 

Do you consider yourself a daughter of the Old Masters? How do you revise your references in your work?

I am definitely inspired by old master paintings. But the references are not always to obvious. I have a broad knowledge of art of different areas, cultures and periods. But although there are classic references, my work is also firmly rooted in the present.

Artfully dressed is a fascinating project. Tell us about it.  

In the spring of 2017, I created a new and timely series devoted to prominent and promising women in the art world, Artfully Dressed: Women in the Art World. The concept of my project (begun prior to the #MeToo movement) is to shine a light on the many talented women in this field – to showcase their accomplishments, intelligence, power, and beauty. To date, this important series includes over 550 international women from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, nationalities, ages, and professions. I have photographed artists, art historians, museum curators and directors, auction professionals, dealers and gallerists, collectors, philanthropists, art fair organizers, journalists, museum trustees, to name some of the professions represented in the project.  Female portraiture has always been a focus of my work and I decided to feature women in the art world, in part because this is also my world and I know many such women. I wanted to celebrate them through my photographic work, to heighten their visibility, to empower them through portraiture. I also decided to give special attention to dress, hence the title Artfully Dressed. Many of the women in the portraits are dressed in amazing quality designer clothes, period costumes, artist’s working attire and vintage clothing. Some are wrapped in stunning and luxurious fabrics lent by prominent textile designers. Since the project’s inception, I have met many extraordinary women with a great passion for art. While getting to know them, I was amazed to learn of their achievements and experiences. This also gave me the idea to do short interviews with each woman about their backgrounds, professional pursuits, interests in art, and what the women in the art world project meant to them.  

I think discovery is renewed by each artist, who leave its own mark on this earth. What do you think you have discovered with your art and what do you still would like to discover in the future?

I think that I found a personal style which is strongly recognizable. Both through my use of subject as well as by the use of natural light. Moreover, through my work and my projects, such as the women in the art world project, I celebrate women, bringing them forward. Bright women who have achieved a lot, but who have been out of the limelight. And of course I do not know what the future will bring, but I would like to keep on developing myself and my art. Finding new possibilities for expression and to meet many more brilliant people.