Vision, Light and Art
As an independent artist, I explore the delicate beauty of the human form and skin, nature and natural light. My photography captures tiny details and sculptural forms, and creates timeless images that speak to the soul.
Carla van de Puttelaar is an acclaimed artist known for her masterly skill to use natural light and tactile textures for the creation of magical images. Each photograph tells a story of beauty, vulnerability and strength, drawing the viewer into a quiet moment of reflection. With a deep passion for art, Carla creates evocative images that are both timeless and contemporary.
The photography of Carla van de Puttelaar allows the eye to touch the skin on many levels. Through her lens, she makes the viewer aware of the sensitivity and the sensuality of skin, which she examines in detail, without ever forgetting to be aware of the importance of the shapes of the structure that the skin envelopes. The female body has long been her main subject, but in recent years she has also successfully begun to examine the skin and texture of flowers, particularly those on the brink of fading. In them she has discovered the same fascinating sensitivity and sensuality as in her female models. Natural light is one of Carla’s most important tools and assets. She allows it to play around with her subjects and then catches it at its most seductive moment and from that moment on, it is captured for posterity.
Carla van de Puttelaar has always had a keen interest in portraiture. Her portrait photographs are less well-known than much of her other work, but have always formed an intrinsic and essential part of it. They originate as free work, or as the result of a commission, such as a series done in 2015 for The New Yorker. Also five portraits have been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, London for their collection. Like all her photos, her portraits are shot in natural light. In them, her love of old master portraits is clearly recognizable. Carla aims to catch an intense image of the sitter, in which the eye is an important focus. She is keen on recording a specific, momentary expression, be it emotional or powerful, but always individual.
Carla van de Puttelaar | Brushed by Light – Virtual Tour
New upcoming exhibition: Artfully Dressed, Slot Zeist
From December 15, 2026, through February 28, 2027, Slot Zeist presents ‘Artfully Dressed’, an exhibition centered around the internationally renowned photography of Carla van de Puttelaar. After her education at the Amsterdam Gerrit Rietveld Academy, she quickly gained international acclaim for her characteristic, sensitive visual language. Retrospective exhibitions and acquisitions by domestic and foreign museums, works shown at TEFAF and Sotheby’s New York, among others, as well as the publication of monographic books and articles in magazines (including The New York Times Magazine) confirm her personal and unique way of working. In 2017, she received her PhD in art history from Utrecht University.
Slot Zeist is now showing a broad selection from her portrait project Artfully Dressed: Women in the Art World, supplemented with works from her poetic flower series Hortus Nocturnum (Night Garden) and from the Synergia Series (in collaboration with Iris van Herpen). In the exhibition rooms, portrait art, floral still lifes, and tangible haute couture will seamlessly merge into a feast of color and beauty.
Powerful women and the tangibility of clothing
The heart of the exhibition is formed by the portraits from ‘Artfully Dressed: Women in the Art World’. In this broadly designed project, Carla van de Puttelaar shows the strength, intelligence, and uniqueness of influential and promising women within the international art world. Central to this are not only the subjects themselves, but also the rich texture of their clothing. The viewer is therefore invited to experience the details of the sumptuous materials in designs by various well-known couturiers.
Connected by daylight and artistic vision
What connects the various series in the exhibition is Van de Puttelaar’s signature artistic vision. Inspired by the 17th-century Dutch and Flemish Masters, she works almost exclusively with daylight. This powerful, bright light falls in an almost painterly manner on the subject, her clothing, and the staging, creating a timeless connection between the subject and the viewer.
In addition to the portraits of women, the Hortus Nocturnum series offers photographs of individual flowers, captured in such a way that the calyxes and leaves acquire their own tangible identity. With the addition of works from the Synergia series, the exhibition also showcases a dialogue between photographer and designer (i.e., Iris van Herpen). All in all, the ‘Artfully Dressed’ exhibition offers a unique mix of photography, natural beauty, and fashion, which resonates perfectly within the baroque grandeur of Slot Zeist. https://www.slotzeist.nl/agenda/artfully-dressed-carla-van-de-puttelaar
Artistic Vision and Natural Light
“Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of showcasing my work in various national and international exhibitions. My artistic vision centers on the profound beauty of human form, skin texture, and character, brought to life through the meticulous use of natural light. Rooted in the rich traditions of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish Old Masters, my photography uses natural light to create a painterly, timeless, and often otherworldly atmosphere.
My work has been shared globally through solo and group exhibitions in for example New York, London, Paris, Milan, Brussels, and Amsterdam. My work has been featured at prominent international institutions and galleries such as the National Portrait Gallery in London, Sotheby’s in Amsterdam and New York, National Museum of History and Art in Luxembourg, and the Rembrandt House Museum. Additionally, my photographs have been displayed at art fairs like TEFAF New York, AIPAD, Paris Photo, Photo Basel, and Photo London.
My work is represented in public collections worldwide, including the Huis Marseille Museum voor Fotografie and Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Mauritshuis and the Photo Museum in The Hague, National Portrait Gallery in London, and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris.”
Celebration of the Skin
Portraits
Stilllifes
“When you look at one of her marvelous pictures, you feel rapt and mesmerized, as if you are facing something sacred.”
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