Hans Vandekerckhove is a true painter, who focuses on motives with strong traditional ties in Western expressive art: the Rückenfigur, the gardener, the garden and horticulture, glasshouses, bridges and related architectural motives, the Hiëronymus motive, the girl figure, the romantic landscape, the totem animal, the sacra conversatione and the Annunciation motive.
He is a romantic and individualist whose work evolved from a neo-expressionist style (early 80ies) to a nearly abstract image inspired by alchemistic motives (90ies), and from 1998 to return to the figurative and content-based themes. For example, Vandekerckhove concentrates on the picture relationship between motive and background, and human and surroundings.
His paintings are contemplative, ascetic works that cause a certain disruption. However, they are at the same time attractive without the alienation of surrealism. As a human and as an artist, he has a strong relationship with nature and tries to tell a story about this as a visual poet.