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Edgar Fernhout
Still Life with Bottles, 1949
Edgar Fernhout (1912-1974) has a varied oeuvre. In the first part of his life as a painter, he produced realistic works, heavily influenced by his mother Charley Toorop (1891-1955). Following a personal crisis in 1941, he increasingly disassociated himself from her. In search of artistic liberation,
...
his brushwork became looser and his works became less detailed, like in this still life.
The scene is muted and in light colours. Behind two glass bottles containing linseed oil, we see a painted canvas on a fireplace: also a still life, with what could be called ‘after-images’ of the bottles. The canvas leans against a splotchy wall. It is as if Fernhout abstracts his subject a little more with each step. The painting supplies in the work suggest a reference to the artistic calling.
This key work is still realistic, but it is significantly sobered down compared to Fernhout’s earlier work. There is little variation in the calm, cool colours. Fernhout worked with less colour nuances and his areas of colour became larger, so there is minimal rendering of material. He continued to push this aspect, ultimately producing completely abstract landscapes. Following his mother’s death in 1955, there was nothing obstructing his path towards abstraction.
Text: Myrthe Wesseling, guide and museum host
Artist
Edgar Fernhout
Title
Still Life with Bottles
Year
1949
Technique
Oil on canvas
Size
50 x 40.5 cm (h x w)
Type of object
Painting
Copyright
© Pictoright
This work is protected by copyright. You need permission from the creator or his heir to download, edit, copy or publish it.
