Dudokdegroot is interested in artists who explore the boundaries of their medium. In the work of Marjolein Rothman (1974), photography is an important reference, specifically her perceived ability to freeze time. In series of paintings with the same starting point, Rothman shows the impossibility of capturing a moment and demonstrates how the meaning of an image shifts with each new gaze.
The paintings are created in a single, continuous session, with a focus on the action and the performative aspect of painting. Rothman works quickly, concentrating on the light and on the positive and negative space within the image. The act of creation is crucial for Rothman; it coincides with the time that is captured in the painting. The image often exists in an in-between space, emerging much like the development process of analog photography.
Rothman has painted flowers and plants from time to time due to their symbolic meaning, combined with other archetypal images such as monuments and official portraits, which are linked to themes like power and the human desire to resist mortality. For the past seven years, Rothman has focused on this theme, further exploring the function and significance of light. Her most recent work is characterized by a strong contrast between light and dark (chiaroscuro). Branches of leaves emerge from the darkness, creating an image that possesses a tranquil beauty.