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FINDING
A WAY
Braldt Bralds’ career is a testament to the
passion and dedication of an artist.
BY JOHN O’HERNA
t 12 Braldt Bralds had his first expo-
sure to paintings while visiting
Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van
Beuningen with his fellow classmates
from the Grafische School. There, he saw
works by the Old Dutch Masters as well as
famous contemporary artists. He was most
impressed by Magritte’s The Treachery of
Images (This is Not a Pipe)—a painting of
a pipe. Braldt recalls, “Our teacher asked,
‘What do you think this means?’ I was
confused. The painting was of a pipe. That
was his meaning. It is a painting of a pipe,
not a pipe! It was a revelation about art for
my young mind. Magritte’s imagination
has influenced me throughout my life.”
Magritte figured into his life years laterwhen, in 1984, Braldt awoke one morning
in his apartment and looked over at the
largest book on his bookshelf. “René
Magritte” in large white letters on the red
cover was indecipherable. He was diag-
nosed with Best Disease, an untreatable
condition that causes central vision to
become distorted or to go blurry. “I literally
paint peripherally,” he explains. “I can see
a line when I look next to it.”
There is a story to Braldt’s life as an artist
both before and after his diagnosis.
Braldt began his career as a freelance
illustrator in The Netherlands when he was- Nine years later, armed with a portfolio
of his work, he accompanied a friend to
New York City. A fortuitous meeting with a
Above: Braldt Bralds in his studio painting. RIght: Eventide, oil on panel, 4 2 x 4 2"