“Hendrik Kerstens did not train formally as an artist. however, he wished to devote himself to a more creative profession and in 1995, at the age of forty, he left the business world and took up photography. His wife Anna worked full time to support this change of direction. in a reversal of more traditional roles, Kerstens cared for their young daughter Paula, while also studying photography during the day. Having a child left a deep impression on Kerstens. Through photography, he explored the accompanying feelings of responsibility, vulnerability and love he felt towards his daughter, starting with documentary family snapshots.

As Paula physically and psychologically grew, Kerstens searched for an artistic manifestation of these changes, leading to his interpretations of the great dutch master painters of the 17th century with Paula as his muse”