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Lot Essay
The early 1920s are crucial for the development of Wim Schuhmacher's style. He studied post-cubist and more realistic artists like, Moishe Kisling. This in combination with several trips abroad, especially to Paris and Southern Europe, developed his mature style which first appeared around 1925. This style, for which he became famous, made him an influential figure in 20th Century Dutch art history. Together with Carel Willink, Raoul Hynckes, and Pyke Koch, he is considered to be one of the representatives of the so called 'Magisch Realisme' (magical realism); a Dutch interpretation of art movements like Neue Sachlichheit and Surrealism. When asked about his position Schuhmacher clearly denied the existence of a connection between himself and these artists, and stated that this connection is only based on superficial similarities. Schuhmacher clearly preferred to position himself as an individual artist. Colour and form play an important role in the artist's work. The delicate light and grey tonality, mentioned in 1934 by R.W.P de Vries Jr. (Van Geest, p. 124), the so-called 'zilveren toon' (silver tone), became his trademark. Many art critics have tried to put this in words. Plasschaert compares Schuhmacher's work with 'the inside of a shell', while Niehaus compared it with crystal, referring not only to the relatively achromatism and light, but also to the remnants of cubism which are so typical for the work of Wim Schuhmacher. The tilted perspective and the way the table cloth is arranged on the table clearly betray his cubist background, although the cubist language is not as strong as in the work of his Dutch contemporary Raoul Hynckes in the 1920s or Dick Ket in the early 1930s.
Still life with fruit and fish was painted in Paris in 1931, probably during his stay there from 15 October until 22 November. In this year he painted several still lifes with fish, a theme that would not return in his later career. By this time, he mastered his technique completely and his realism had developed to a high point. Although the still life shows a variety of form and colour, all objects on the table show a subdued subtlety. It is this variety that gives this work a special place within the oeuvre of the artist Wim Schuhmacher. Where the other still life's of 1931 are fish dominated, the present lot offers a much more varied spectrum of objects. The artichoke, grapes and lemon balance the composition and are painted with the same attention as the three fish on the plate. And even the choice of fish in this particular painting, not only the silver grey fish, but also the colour shades in the red gurnards tempted Schuhmacher to search the boundaries of his self-imposed colour limitations. In this painting Schuhmacher is clearly able to show all his skills as a realist.
Still life with fruit and fish was painted in Paris in 1931, probably during his stay there from 15 October until 22 November. In this year he painted several still lifes with fish, a theme that would not return in his later career. By this time, he mastered his technique completely and his realism had developed to a high point. Although the still life shows a variety of form and colour, all objects on the table show a subdued subtlety. It is this variety that gives this work a special place within the oeuvre of the artist Wim Schuhmacher. Where the other still life's of 1931 are fish dominated, the present lot offers a much more varied spectrum of objects. The artichoke, grapes and lemon balance the composition and are painted with the same attention as the three fish on the plate. And even the choice of fish in this particular painting, not only the silver grey fish, but also the colour shades in the red gurnards tempted Schuhmacher to search the boundaries of his self-imposed colour limitations. In this painting Schuhmacher is clearly able to show all his skills as a realist.