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Lot Essay
Avenue at Versailles depicts a situation that, at first glance, seems to be an existing setting. However, with the help of the diagonal play of light, the building in the shade and the path in the sun Willink draws us to the centre of the composition along an unrealistically long building. This element combined with the complete desertion evokes a sense of mystery and loneliness. The feeling of threat was sharply evident in the 1950's under the impact of the political situation. To Willink the threat of the Cold War felt similar to the fearful 1930's, resulting often in his threatening skies, fires and destroyed buildings. The present lot however seems to depict a beautiful sunny day in Versailles. For Willink sunny skies could also mean a threat. "Een zonnig landschap, eertijds symbool voor pastorale vredigheid, kan een onverdragelijke dreiging vormen". (See: A.C. Willink, De schilderkunst in een kritiek stadium, Amsterdam 1950, p. 42.)
The artist often used different kind of elements from reality and fantasy to construct his compositions. Part of the present lot was based upon a photograph of classical sculptures at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, which was found in the estate of the artist. It was probably taken when he lived and studied in Berlin around 1921. (Fig. 1) The image shows a female classical sculpture partly standing in the shade. In 1935 Willink already based a painting on the same photograph, The hunting-lodge (Jaffé no. 164) which shows an almost exact copy of the photo with an imaginary landscape added to the right of the composition. In the present lot Willink used the sculpture in mirror image and added architectural elements from Versailles. Willink would often be inspired by photographic material for his paintings. By exploring the form relation between images and by combining them into a completely different setting a sublime austere landscape came into being.
The artist often used different kind of elements from reality and fantasy to construct his compositions. Part of the present lot was based upon a photograph of classical sculptures at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, which was found in the estate of the artist. It was probably taken when he lived and studied in Berlin around 1921. (Fig. 1) The image shows a female classical sculpture partly standing in the shade. In 1935 Willink already based a painting on the same photograph, The hunting-lodge (Jaffé no. 164) which shows an almost exact copy of the photo with an imaginary landscape added to the right of the composition. In the present lot Willink used the sculpture in mirror image and added architectural elements from Versailles. Willink would often be inspired by photographic material for his paintings. By exploring the form relation between images and by combining them into a completely different setting a sublime austere landscape came into being.