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Lot Essay
"Blauw wordt algemeen beschouwd als een beetje filosofische, weinig hartstochtelijke kleur. Blauw in een schilderij is heel belangrijk, geel is een nijdige kleur die me irriteert en die spaarzaam toegepast moet worden."
(Carel Willink in: W. Kramer, Willink, The Hague 1973, p. 112.)
Landschap met zeven beelden depicts a quiet mountainous landscape with two prominent rows of classical sculptures on the foreground and a glimpse of a city in the distance. The viewer’s gaze is drawn into the landscape by the multiple light sources used by the artist. The shadows on the sculptures and the tree on the far right reveal that the light is coming from both sides of the work, enhancing the perspective and depth of the painting. For some this painting might look serene and peaceful, but the reality could be different. Willink was notorious for depicting the threat of the war in his paintings. Fire and dark cloudy skies gave the feeling of threatening and uncertain times. In the present lot, however, we see a clear and sunny day. But for Willink, clear 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 serenity of the work might also depict a ‘conclusion’ of some sort, a fearful prospect of what the war might cause. This painting dates from the height of the Second World War. First there was a threat, but now there is a reality of emptiness and evanescence. The classical sculptures are weatherworn and covered by moss. They remind of ancient civilizations that disappeared a long time ago. The fear of the disappearance of the civilization as they knew it, was very present amongst scholars during the Second World War. (H.L.C. Jaffé, Willink, Amsterdam 1986, p. 88)
The artist often used different elements from reality and fantasy to construct his compositions. Parts of the present lot were based upon photographs of classical sculptures at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, which were found in the estate of the artist. They were probably taken when he lived and studied in Berlin around 1921 (Fig. 1,2 ). The sculptures surrounding the Neues Palais were an ongoing source of inspiration to Willink. He used them for multiple paintings, for instance Het jachtslot (Jaffé no. 164) and Laan in Versailles (Jaffé no. 242). When Willink moved to the Ruysdaelkade in Amsterdam in 1936, the sculptures in the garden of the Rijksmuseum became an important source of inspiration to him. The sculpture on the far left of the painting depicts a work by J.P. von Baurscheit titled Hercules vechtend met Kakus, which was on view in the sculpture garden of the Rijksmuseum during the Second World War (Fig. 3). Not only the sculptures are appropriated from reality, in the background we can clearly see the two towers of the Moses and Aaron church in Amsterdam. Willink would often use sketches and photographic material to compose his paintings. By exploring the form relation between images and by combining them into a completely different setting a sublime austere landscape comes into being.
(Carel Willink in: W. Kramer, Willink, The Hague 1973, p. 112.)
Landschap met zeven beelden depicts a quiet mountainous landscape with two prominent rows of classical sculptures on the foreground and a glimpse of a city in the distance. The viewer’s gaze is drawn into the landscape by the multiple light sources used by the artist. The shadows on the sculptures and the tree on the far right reveal that the light is coming from both sides of the work, enhancing the perspective and depth of the painting. For some this painting might look serene and peaceful, but the reality could be different. Willink was notorious for depicting the threat of the war in his paintings. Fire and dark cloudy skies gave the feeling of threatening and uncertain times. In the present lot, however, we see a clear and sunny day. But for Willink, clear 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 serenity of the work might also depict a ‘conclusion’ of some sort, a fearful prospect of what the war might cause. This painting dates from the height of the Second World War. First there was a threat, but now there is a reality of emptiness and evanescence. The classical sculptures are weatherworn and covered by moss. They remind of ancient civilizations that disappeared a long time ago. The fear of the disappearance of the civilization as they knew it, was very present amongst scholars during the Second World War. (H.L.C. Jaffé, Willink, Amsterdam 1986, p. 88)
The artist often used different elements from reality and fantasy to construct his compositions. Parts of the present lot were based upon photographs of classical sculptures at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, which were found in the estate of the artist. They were probably taken when he lived and studied in Berlin around 1921 (Fig. 1,2 ). The sculptures surrounding the Neues Palais were an ongoing source of inspiration to Willink. He used them for multiple paintings, for instance Het jachtslot (Jaffé no. 164) and Laan in Versailles (Jaffé no. 242). When Willink moved to the Ruysdaelkade in Amsterdam in 1936, the sculptures in the garden of the Rijksmuseum became an important source of inspiration to him. The sculpture on the far left of the painting depicts a work by J.P. von Baurscheit titled Hercules vechtend met Kakus, which was on view in the sculpture garden of the Rijksmuseum during the Second World War (Fig. 3). Not only the sculptures are appropriated from reality, in the background we can clearly see the two towers of the Moses and Aaron church in Amsterdam. Willink would often use sketches and photographic material to compose his paintings. By exploring the form relation between images and by combining them into a completely different setting a sublime austere landscape comes into being.