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Edgar Fernhout

Skull, 1935

There can be no doubt whatsoever that Edgar Fernhout (1912-1974) inherited the painter’s genes of his grandfather Jan Toorop (1858-1928) and his mother Charley Toorop (1891-1955). Charley Toorop set the bar high and had an unshakeable vision of the (artistic) path that her son should follow. And yet ... Fernhout still developed a painting style completely his own. His work shared much common ground with that of his mother, but it was less Expressionistic. Following his mother’s death, he started painting abstract landscapes. Although the skull dominates the foreground, the perfectly arranged composition is perhaps the most striking aspect of this painting. The three horizontal lines of the window sill, the forest landscape and the sky are clearly the main players. The dune landscape is the view from Charley Toorop’s studio home, ‘De Vlerken’ in Bergen. The skull is from her studio, and has a rich history featuring in vanitas still lifes, but here primarily helps to showcase Fernhout’s skilled painter’s hand. Text: Myrthe Wesseling, guide and museum host
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Artist
Edgar Fernhout
Title
Skull
Year
1935
Technique
Oil on canvas
Size
55.3 x 46.2 cm (h x w)
Type of object
Painting
Copyright
© Pictoright

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