1876 The Hague – 1923 Domburg
Bild 54 (Image 54)
oil on canvas, 32.2 x 40 cm
signed lower right: Jacoba van Heemskerck
dated on the side of the painting: 1916.
provenance:
with Kunsthandel M.L. de Boer, Amsterdam, inv.no. 5174, 1961;
Bertus Meijer, Wassenaar, inv.no. 335, probably acquired from the above;
by descent to the previous owner.
exhibited:
– Berlin, Galerie Der Sturm, Dreiundachtzigste Ausstellung: Jacoba van Heemskerck,
Gemälde und Aquarelle, Zeichnen, Holzschnitte, Januar 1917, no. 27;
– Berlin, Galerie Der Sturm, Zweiundsechzigste Ausstellung: Jacoba van Heemskerck,
Gemälde, Aquarelle, Zeichnen, Holzschnitte, March 1918, no. 23;
– Berlin, Galerie Der Sturm, Einundsiebzigste Ausstellung: Gesamtschau, Februar 1919,
no. 25;
– Berlin, Galerie Der Sturm, Hundertneunundzwanzigste Ausstellung: Jacoba van
Heemskerck, Gedächtnis-Ausstellung, March 1924, no. 16;
– Amsterdam, Kunsthandel M.L. de Boer, Stillevens van Ensor tot heden, May-June 1964.
Thanks to the depiction of the white bird in the foreground of the composition, it is clear that Jacoba van Heemskerck’s painting represents an abstracted landscape. Trees and vegetation are also visible; the blue paint could represent water or sky. The round shape at the top left of the composition recalls the sun.
This modern landscape, despite its modest size, is painted in bold pictorial language consisting of dark lines and variegated areas of color. In parts, the paint has not been applied to the canvas in a fully covering manner. As a result, in some places the ground layer is partially visible. A typical effect the artist applied more often to create depth in her work.
Bild 54 was created by Van Heemskerck in 1916. The artist dated the painting on the canvas on the side of the stretcher. As a result, the year is not visible and does not disturb the composition.
Bild 54 is a wonderful example of the artistic exchange between the artist and the German avant- garde. Her fascination and appreciation for contemporary German art was not entirely uncontroversial in the Netherlands since World War I was taking place at the same time. This painting was exhibited no less than four times at the Sturm Galerie in Berlin between 1917 and 1924. There it was presented in connection with work by Vassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc and August Macke and other artist represented by the Sturm Galerie.
Here you can read more information on Van Heemskerck and her context.