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拍品专文
The present lot, 'Maannacht', is part of a series of five paintings executed by Jan Sluijters while he lived in Laren between 1910-1912. Originally, three of the five Maannachten made part of the important collection of Dr. J.F.S. Esser, who acquired the paintings directly from the artist. 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 1905-1906, 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 on.
Once returned in 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. Many of these early city views have been acquired by J.F.S. Esser, among them lot 92: Stadsgezicht met zaagmolen.
Sluijters traded 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. Where 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 strive for simplicity in composition noticable.
The present 'Maannacht' from the J.F.S. Esser collection is the smallest in size from the series and should be seen as a transition piece in Sluijters' artistic development. The present lot is strongly related in composition to the other Maannachten, now part of the collection of the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague and the Caldic Collection in Rotterdam. The loose strokes that are so characteristic for luminism are thickly applied, especially in the left and right part of the painting that serve as side wings, embracing the centre section. In the centre the house and the trees are no longer a swarm of brushstrokes but one large equal plane. The irregular shaped green spot in the front, probably rainwater in which the moonlight is reflected, is prominently present and gives an alienating effect to the painting. This effect is further strengthened by the striking and, for that period in time, very unusual use of colour. 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.
To be included in the Catalogue Raisonné on the artist's work, currently being prepared by the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD) in The Hague.
Once returned in 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. Many of these early city views have been acquired by J.F.S. Esser, among them lot 92: Stadsgezicht met zaagmolen.
Sluijters traded 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. Where 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 strive for simplicity in composition noticable.
The present 'Maannacht' from the J.F.S. Esser collection is the smallest in size from the series and should be seen as a transition piece in Sluijters' artistic development. The present lot is strongly related in composition to the other Maannachten, now part of the collection of the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague and the Caldic Collection in Rotterdam. The loose strokes that are so characteristic for luminism are thickly applied, especially in the left and right part of the painting that serve as side wings, embracing the centre section. In the centre the house and the trees are no longer a swarm of brushstrokes but one large equal plane. The irregular shaped green spot in the front, probably rainwater in which the moonlight is reflected, is prominently present and gives an alienating effect to the painting. This effect is further strengthened by the striking and, for that period in time, very unusual use of colour. 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.
To be included in the Catalogue Raisonné on the artist's work, currently being prepared by the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD) in The Hague.