Lot Essay
By 1920 Van der Leck had broken all ties with De Stijl. He had definitely returned to a measure of direct realism in his manner of abstraction. He worked slowly and his production was limited. He lived quietly in Blaricum, and the subjects he treated were related to family life and country life. They make a happy radiant, sometimes severe impression; positive, lucid, simple and straightforward. (See R.W.D. Oxenaar, Bart van der Leck 1876-1958, exh.cat. Otterlo, Kröller Müller Museum, 1994, p. 147)
In the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum there are two preliminary studies, a watercolour and a drawing which can be regarded as the starting point for the composition of the painting (See collection Kröller Müller Museum, inv.no. 440 gr 27 cat. tekeningen nr. 62b and inv. 440 gr 26 cat. tekeningen nr. 62a)
From 1919 onwards the subject matter is reduced to small geometric forms floating on a white fond. Most important was the openness of the image and the relationship between the background and the floating forms with their colours
See colour illustration
In the collection of the Kröller-Müller Museum there are two preliminary studies, a watercolour and a drawing which can be regarded as the starting point for the composition of the painting (See collection Kröller Müller Museum, inv.no. 440 gr 27 cat. tekeningen nr. 62b and inv. 440 gr 26 cat. tekeningen nr. 62a)
From 1919 onwards the subject matter is reduced to small geometric forms floating on a white fond. Most important was the openness of the image and the relationship between the background and the floating forms with their colours
See colour illustration