藝術家介紹
Philip Lindeman
現居於烏特勒支的荷蘭插畫家暨藝術家，以豐富生動的構圖，以及俏皮搞笑的人物角色，塑造出無數既荒誕又可愛的場景，畫面中時常夾藏了笑哏以及各種彩蛋，令人會心。創作深受童年讀物《威利在哪裡？》卡通頻道與其節目《樂一通》的影響，以天馬行空的敘事能力擄獲讀者的心，客戶包含了 Oatly、《The New Yorker》、《Bloomberg》等國際品牌與媒體，近期也跨足拼貼、陶作等多樣媒材創作。
Based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Dutch visual artist Philip Lindeman creates countless whimsical yet joyous scenes with surreal and maximalist compositions, featuring playful and quirky characters. The illustrations often hide jokes and various Easter eggs, guaranteed to put a smile on any viewer's face. Influenced by childhood readings of "Where's Wally?" and cartoons like "Looney Tunes," his imaginative storytelling is captivating. His clients include international brands and media such as Oatly, The New Yorker, and Bloomberg, and he has recently expanded his creative disciplines into mediums including acrylic, découpage, and ceramics.
▲ Philip Lindeman (photo by Pierre Zylstra)
創意的跨界循環
在藝術、插畫與設計的界線愈加模糊的今日，不少創作者受過跨領域的專業教育，荷蘭藝術家 Philip Lindeman 也不例外，高中畢業後到職業學校 Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht 學習平面設計，期間到巴賽隆納駐村半年，不僅僅有自己的工作室，還舉辦了個展，他發現比起設計，自己對於插畫與藝術更感性興趣，歸國後到烏特勒支藝術大學（University of the Arts Utrecht）進修插畫。在豐富的接案經驗之餘，近兩年開始以壓克力顏料塗抹出五彩繽紛、奇形怪狀的小角色，並將這些角色再轉化為抽象幾何畫作、陶作，以及拼貼。這些塗抹拼湊而出的角色，又可能在往後的插畫作品中，成為櫥櫃中的擺設，甚至是配角。
▲ Friends Forever painting process
▲ Friends Forever painting
確實，看似無足輕重，時不時重複出現的配角是 Lindeman 創作中不可或缺，將龐大組織拴緊的螺絲釘，他筆下多數角色都不是典型的「人物」，而是擬人化的動物、機器人、外星生物，以及頭像與半身像，甚至是憑空出現的逗趣面孔。這些角色再加上他對於書櫃、層架的運用，宛如撐起畫面豐富性的棟樑，甚至能夠與其他作品產生連結，無限延伸、實踐符合他審美的虛構世界，進而恣意營造並「展示」他精選的元素（motif），並且藏入對他別具意義的玩具、私物與笑哏。
A Cross-disciplinary Creative Journey
In today's world of art, illustration, and design, where the lines are increasingly blurry, many creators have received education across multiple disciplines. Philip Lindeman is no exception. After graduating from high school, he studied graphic design at Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht. During this time, he had a six-month residency in Barcelona, where he not only had his own studio but also held a solo exhibition. However, he realized that he was more interested in illustration and art than in design. Upon returning to the Netherlands, he pursued further education in illustration at the University of the Arts Utrecht.
▲ 壓克力作品 Acrylic artwork (photo by Pierre Zylstra)
In the last two years, apart from commissions, he has been zooming in and using acrylic paints to create colorful and whimsical characters with peculiar shapes which could be found in his previous illustrations. These characters are then transformed into abstract geometric paintings, ceramics, and découpage. Some of the characters he creates become decorations in cabinets or even significant roles in his future illustrations. Indeed, these "sidekicks" are indispensable in Lindeman's creations. They are atypical in that they are often anthropomorphic animals, robots, aliens, head sculptures, busts, and even whimsical faces that seem to appear out of thin air. These characters, combined with his use of cabinets and shelves, result in his highly structured signature compositions. The recurring motifs also allow him to expand his imaginary world and establish connections among different projects with uniformity, incorporating nostalgic toys, everyday objects, and jokes into his creations.
▲ 近兩年 Lindeman 開始嘗試多樣媒材的創作。Lindeman has been exploring different mediums for his analogue art. (photo by Pierre Zylstra)
取之不盡，用之不竭的幽默直覺
幽默感或許是替 Lindeman 作品畫龍點睛的致勝關鍵，與其故弄玄虛，將之包裝成幾經琢磨的商業策略，他選擇大方分享：這些笑哏其實是自娛娛人，舉凡逗趣的姿勢與稚傻的神情，他打從心底向童年陪伴他成長的經典角色與故事情節致敬。在他的畫中，不難看出《威利在哪裡？》與《樂一通》等卡通頻道的經典節目對他的影響，的確，Lindeman 自認童年卡通與讀物對他的啟發，遠勝過於任何所謂的「藝術大師」；中學時期時常闖禍，歷經多次重讀、轉學的 Lindeman，曾經著迷於滑板與塗鴉次文化，卻也因此練就了他快狠準的作畫習性，並且讓他可以依照直覺快速完稿。雖然一度荒廢課業，沈迷於吸食菸草、濫用藥物，並且對於未來感到迷茫，繪畫一直是他精神世界的浮板，讓他可以藉著優游於綺思狂想的汪洋之中。
▲ Philip Lindeman's découpages (photo by Pierre Zylstra)
然而創作思維百轉千迴，並非總是縹緲不可捉摸。以 Lindeman 最引以為傲、最大規模的合作案「Moog音樂工作室」為例，他一手包辦了盒子包裝、手冊、折疊海報、骰子遊戲和可立在書桌上的角色模型等眾多項目，為了兼顧美感與功能性，如何詮釋合成器的音樂世界，並維持所有設計的整體性成了本次最大的挑戰。在與藝術指導腦力激盪後，他大受鼓舞，決定放手一搏，以太空物件、懷舊元素、玩具，還有手舞足蹈的角色點綴，以月亮為主角編織了一個故事：在錄音室中，月亮先生徹夜操弄著模組合成器，優美的旋律與嗶嗶聲此起彼落，由於睡眠不足，他開始產生幻覺——一班假想的聽眾沈浸在他的音樂之中。
後來又再追加委託設計「Moog樂器操作指南」，場景來到外星人的寓所，原先是工作人員的角色搖身一變成為主要角色，推開地板上的黑白棋盤，彷彿由糖果堆疊而成的毛毛蟲探頭，身後是星辰與月亮，相對位置也許暗示了居所正漂浮在外太空中，是飛碟抑或母艦？在 Lindeman 的插畫宇宙中，一切充滿了無限可能。
Humor as a Source of Inspiration
Humor is perhaps what makes Lindeman's artwork stand out. Instead of playing sly, he chooses to share it openly: these jokes not only amuse others but also bring joy to himself. Whether it's playful poses or quirky expressions, he pays homage to the cartoon characters and storylines that accompanied him throughout his childhood. Lindeman's work clearly reflects the influence of timeless cartoons and readings like "Looney Tunes" and "Where's Wally?". He believes that these childhood cartoons and readings have inspired him more than any so-called "Maestros." During his high school years, Lindeman often got into trouble and experienced multiple academic retakes and transfers. He was obsessed with skateboarding and graffiti subcultures, which honed his fast and precise drawing skills and allowed him to finish his work intuitively and rapidly. Despite temporarily neglecting his studies, being immersed in smoking and drug use, and feeling lost about his future, drawing has always been his lighthouse, showing him direction when he is submerged in the ocean of imagination and fantasy.
▲ Lindeman 的幽默感使作品脫穎而出。Humor is the key to Lindeman's appeal.
One may see creative thinking as intangible, however, it is not always elusive. Take Lindeman's proudest and largest collaboration, "Moog Sound Studio," as an example. He single-handedly handled various aspects of the project, including the box, manual, fold-out poster, dice game, and pop-up characters to display on the desk. Balancing aesthetics and functionality while interpreting the world of synthesizers and maintaining overall design cohesion posed the greatest challenge. After brainstorming with the art director, he was motivated and decided to take a bold approach. He adorned the project with space objects, nostalgic elements, toys, and dancing characters, and weaved a story around the moon: In the recording studio, Mr. Moon plays the modular synthesizer throughout the night, creating melodic tunes and beeps. Due to lack of sleep, he starts hallucinating—a group of imaginary listeners immerse themselves in his music.
▲ Moog樂器操作指南 Moog Instrument Index
Later, he took on the additional commission to design the "Moog Instrument Index." The scene shifted to an alien abode, with the former staffers as main figures. They opened the black-and-white checkerboard on the floor, revealing a caterpillar-like creature made of candy. Behind it were stars and the moon, turns out all of them are floating in outer space! Is it a UFO or a mothership? In Lindeman's illustrative universe, anything is possible!
Source: Philip Lindeman, studio photos by Pierre Zylstra
