74 - Charley Toorop (1891-1955)

Charley Toorop (1891-1955) Still life with hyacinths in stoneware pots, signed 'C. Fernhout-/Toorop' (lower right); signed again (on the stretcher),oil on canvas, 71x55,5 cm, Provenance:-Auction, Christie's, Amsterdam, 8 December 1993, lot 200, where dated ‘circa 1916’.Executed circa 1916.The artists’ village of Bergen in North Holland saw the emergence of a new movement in 1914-1915 known as Het Signaal, which is regarded as marking the beginning of the Bergen School of Expressionism. The ideas behind this movement were introduced to the Netherlands by the French painter Henri Le Fauconnier (1881-1945), who had been living in the country since 1914. He initially stayed in Domburg, where he came into contact with Jan Toorop (1858-1928), having been unable to return to France following the outbreak of the First World War. Le Fauconnier was a close friend of the painter Piet van Wijngaerdt (1873-1964), who spoke fluent French. The two were firm friends, and Van Wijngaerdt translated Le Fauconnier’s celebrated manifesto on Nieuwe Kunst, which he subsequently published in book form in two volumes.Many artists in Bergen embraced this form of Cubist Expressionism. Arnout Colnot (1887-1983) and Dirk Filarski (1887-1983) had already settled in Bergen in 1910, and Charley Toorop (1891-1955) also moved there in 1914. Their work is characterised by coarse, angular forms, dark colours and a heavy, emphatic brushstroke. Earthy tones of brown, ochre and bronze predominate, complemented by green and purplish red, occasionally enlivened by vivid accents of colour. The principal subjects are landscapes and still lifes. Although figurative, the works display a moderate degree of Cubist distortion in the depiction of objects, buildings and trees.The influence of this Expressionist movement is clearly visible in the painting Still Life with Hyacinths in Stoneware Pots, which can be dated around 1916. The signature ‘C. Fernhout-/Toorop’ also helps to date this work: Charley Toorop would divorce Henk Fernhout in 1917.