Painting in the central hall

Matthijs Röling (Oostkapelle, 31 March 1943 - Ezinge, 10 July 2024) was one of the most important figurative painters in the Netherlands. He belonged to the group of figurative abstraction, also called 'The Group', which originated at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. The stylistic movement moved from Amsterdam to the northeastern part of the Netherlands, where many figurative artists felt at home. Influenced by the Groningen Art Academy Minerva, where Matthijs Röling taught, Northern realism emerged.

In addition to numerous paintings, Röling created several large murals, in collaboration with Wout Muller. One of these is 'The Tree of Knowledge', which can be seen on the back wall of the auditorium in the Academy Building. This mural features - among others - his father, Bernard Röling. Röling also painted the portrait of his father that hangs in the Senate Chamber. In 2023, the Faculty of Law acquired a painting that Matthijs Röling made of his father in 1984, reading in a chair in his study. That painting bears the name 'Portrait of Bert Röling' and is on display in the main hall of the Röling Building.