.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The present lot, Maannacht, is part of a series of five paintings executed by Jan Sluijters while he lived in Laren between 1910 and 1912. Apart from the exuberant and luminist landscapes painted in Laren around 1910, the Maannacht series is an undisputed highlight of Jan Sluijters' oeuvre. Sluijters exploited the expressive achievements from the preceding years in these paintings. The experimental quest to discover new ways of painting had an immense impulse during his stay in Paris in 1905 and 1906, where Sluijters studied with a scholarship after winning the prestigious Prix de Rome. During his stay in the French capital Sluijters had discovered Fauvism and his art changed radically from that moment onwards.
Once returned to Amsterdam, Sluijters contributed to a shift in the rather traditional artistic climate in the Netherlands. An important role in Sluijters' paintings was given to land- and townscapes. At first his residence in Amsterdam and in particular the city's periphery inspired Sluijters to paint a series of canvases of relatively small size. However, he would trade Amsterdam for Renkum in Gelderland or Heeze, Brabant once in a while, when he wanted to work outdoors. The artist lived in Laren for longer periods of time from April 1909 until 1911. Inspired by the surrounding landscapes Sluijters produced his Oktoberzonnen which are beaming and bursting with colourful dots. These downright luminist paintings precede the Maannacht series directly.
The difference between day and night is clearly visible in these two series. Whereas the 'day paintings' are vibrating with sunlight and exuberance (whether they have been rigged with cyclists, trees or electricity poles), the 'night paintings' have a more inward sphere and are alienating due to the unusual light. Sluijters' nights are never completely dark; they sparkle with their bright colours. In comparison with Oktoberzonnen there is one important stylistic change notable in the Maannacht series. In these series compact and intense colour fields slowly substitute the old style with its loose brushstrokes. There is a striving for simplicity in composition noticeable.
Sluijters knew exactly how to exploit the expression of colour. Colours are no longer the same as they are in nature, but have an abstract and expressive value. Instead of copying nature, Sluijters strived to express his experience of a nocturnal landscape. A.B. Loosjes-Terpstra mentions in a passage about one of the Maannachten: "The artist told me once how he repeatedly looked behind the curtains of his bedroom to see the nocturnal landscape outside his house in Laren."
We kindly thank Jacqueline de Raad for her help in cataloguing the present lot.
Included in the digital Catalogue Raisonné on the artist's work by the RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: sluijters.rkdmonographs.nl
Once returned to Amsterdam, Sluijters contributed to a shift in the rather traditional artistic climate in the Netherlands. An important role in Sluijters' paintings was given to land- and townscapes. At first his residence in Amsterdam and in particular the city's periphery inspired Sluijters to paint a series of canvases of relatively small size. However, he would trade Amsterdam for Renkum in Gelderland or Heeze, Brabant once in a while, when he wanted to work outdoors. The artist lived in Laren for longer periods of time from April 1909 until 1911. Inspired by the surrounding landscapes Sluijters produced his Oktoberzonnen which are beaming and bursting with colourful dots. These downright luminist paintings precede the Maannacht series directly.
The difference between day and night is clearly visible in these two series. Whereas the 'day paintings' are vibrating with sunlight and exuberance (whether they have been rigged with cyclists, trees or electricity poles), the 'night paintings' have a more inward sphere and are alienating due to the unusual light. Sluijters' nights are never completely dark; they sparkle with their bright colours. In comparison with Oktoberzonnen there is one important stylistic change notable in the Maannacht series. In these series compact and intense colour fields slowly substitute the old style with its loose brushstrokes. There is a striving for simplicity in composition noticeable.
Sluijters knew exactly how to exploit the expression of colour. Colours are no longer the same as they are in nature, but have an abstract and expressive value. Instead of copying nature, Sluijters strived to express his experience of a nocturnal landscape. A.B. Loosjes-Terpstra mentions in a passage about one of the Maannachten: "The artist told me once how he repeatedly looked behind the curtains of his bedroom to see the nocturnal landscape outside his house in Laren."
We kindly thank Jacqueline de Raad for her help in cataloguing the present lot.
Included in the digital Catalogue Raisonné on the artist's work by the RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: sluijters.rkdmonographs.nl