In the artist's words:

Willi de Vries draws and paints powerfully and directly, with perseverance and humor. His paintings and drawings are always integrated into comprehensive projects in which he penetrates to the core of his themes in an almost scientific manner. His projects involve several years of work on the subject of portraiture. His portraits do not serve the honor and fame of their protagonists, but bring fame to art and deal with the work of art itself. Willi de Vries interprets historical paintings and motifs through a modern lens. For him, painterly solutions must be derived from a fundamental artistic principle with an inner logic. If the viewer senses this even subconsciously, that is enough for him. You don't have to know everything, but you can feel a lot. Despite all the analysis, his paintings should above all be enjoyed.