Dutch Voice Actor Becomes Van Gogh

March 13, 2012 - PRLog -- Voice-Over artist Paul Strikwerda portrays famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh in the upcoming NBC10 special "Van Gogh Up Close," which airs on Saturday, March 17th at 7:30 p.m.

Produced by Eileen Matthews and narrated by Glenn Close, this documentary accompanies the Van Gogh exhibition of the same name, currently on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  

Paul Strikwerda, a resident of Easton, PA, was born in The Netherlands and worked for Dutch national and international radio until he moved to the United States in 1999. From his basement studio in the Lehigh Valley, he provides voice-over services in Dutch, German and English for audio books, e-learning programs, websites and virtual tours.

Strikwerda: "When NBC10 approached me to be part of this television special on one of Holland's most celebrated painters, I just knew I had to do it. It was a matter of national pride!"

Throughout his life, Van Gogh wrote more than 600 letters to his brother Theo, an art dealer. In "Van Gogh Up Close," Strikwerda can be heard as the voice of Van Gogh, reading short excerpts from these letters.

He continues: "Eileen Mathews asked me to read these quotes with a Dutch accent to add authenticity to the program."

"Of course we don't really know what Van Gogh sounded like. He was born in the South of Holland and at age 20, he moved to London to work for an art dealer. Some scholars believe these were the happiest days of his life. Van Gogh later returned to England for work as a supply teacher in a small boarding school. This leads me to believe that Van Gogh might have spoken English with Dutch-British accent."

"I am proud and honored to breathe life into the words of one of Holland's most well-know artists," says Strikwerda. "Today, his more than 2,000 works are valued at millions of dollars, but during his lifetime he only sold one oil painting. Van Gogh lived and died in poverty, but he knew he was was leaving an extraordinary legacy. He once said:

"I can't change the fact that my paintings don't sell, but the time will come when people will recognize that they are worth more than the value of the paints used in the picture."

Quick Facts:
A preview of "Van Gogh Up Close," which airs on Saturday, March 17th at 7:30 p.m. can be seen on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDhc7QsbCQI



Paul Strikwerda is available for interviews and can be reached at 732-322-5292 & 610-515-9152 or via email: paul@nethervoice.com
His website is www.nethervoice.com

Follow Paul on Facebook and Twitter, keyword "nethervoice"

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Nethervoice offers voice-over services in Dutch, German and in English to clients on all continents.