Maarten Platje

Maarten Platje was born in Rotterdam in 1967. Growing up in a maritime environment in the heart of The Netherlands, he found his inspiration in the beautiful Dutch skies and the works of famous marine artists such as Van de Velde and Ludolf Backhuyzen.

After first studying art at the Ars Aemula academy in Leiden, he sailed the world’s oceans for 5 years as a sailor in the Royal Netherlands Navy. This period further developed his talent for portraying the sea in all its manifestations on canvas. Maarten has seen it all and has benefitted from his wide travels and vast experience. He has learned to observe and to retain images in his memory including storms in the North Atlantic or the Gulf of Biscay, the Norwegian fjords, the Caribbean Sea, the Doldrums and the Persian Gulf. A particular storm on the North Atlantic, seen from a naval frigate, left a crushing impression on him. It is precisely these first-hand memories and experiences that enable him to present his work in a way that convinces others and takes them into the story he wants to tell.

As his career progressed. his international fame grew and his paintings have been featured in numerous exhibitions and various magazines. His work has been exhibited in Den Helder, London, Monaco, Rotterdam, Boston, Greenwich, Los Angeles, Nantucket, Newport, New York, and Palm Beach. In 2018 he won two awards at the annual exhibition of the Royal Society of Marine Artists in London. Maarten is driven by his curiosity and believes that an artist should be there and experienced it. He wants to see and experience for himself what historic moments actually looked and felt like. His result is realized by painting a stunningly realistic representation in oil paint.