75 - Jan Mankes (1889-1920)

Jan Mankes (1889-1920) Tram engine in the dunes of Scheveningen,signed 'J. Mankes' (lower right),oil on canvas, 28x37 cm,Exhibited:-Utrecht, Utrechtse Kunsthandel, ‘Eere-tentoonstelling Jan Mankes', 24 February-24 March 1923, no. 106.-Amsterdam, Museum Willet-Holthuysen, ‘Tentoonstelling van eenig werk van Jan Mankes', June-September 1933, no. 38.-Heereveen, Museum Willem van Haren (17 September-12 November 1989)/Arnhem, Gemeentemuseum Arnhem (18 November 1989-21 January 1990)/Dordrecht, Dordrechts Museum (10 February 1990-25 March 1990), ‘Jan Mankes, schilderijen, tekeningen en grafiek’.-Spanbroek, Scheringa Museum voor Realisme (on loan).-Oranjewoud, Museum Belvédère (on loan).-Oranjewoud, Museum Belvédère, ‘Jan Mankes - uiting geven aan geestelijk leven’, 25-January-22 June 2025.Literature:-A.Ottevanger, C. Roodenburg-Schadd, K. Berends, T. Philipsen, J.J. Heij, ‘Jan Mankes 1889-1920’, Zwolle 2007, ill. p. 198, no. Scheringa 132.-M. van Doremalen, J. Bouwhuis, F. Pitstra, H. Steenbruggen, M. Deutingen, J. de Lange and S. Kuiper, ‘Jan Mankes, mooie dingen zijn zoo eenvoudig’, Arnhem 2025, ill. p. 174, no. 25-331.Provenance:-Collection Dr A. le Cosquino de Bussy, Utrecht, by 1923-1933.-Auction, Frederik Muller & Cie, Amsterdam, 30 May 1961, lot 186.-Private collection, the Netherlands.Painted in October 1915.RKD images no. 184696.A tram engine emerges from the muted landscape of the dunes in Scheveningen, its dark silhouette contrasting with the white ribbon of steam rising into the sky. Behind it, a low row of houses and a sandy hill stretch along the horizon, while the distant skyline dissolves into the horizon. The lower two-thirds of the composition are dominated by an expansive, subtly modulated foreground in various shades of grey, green and brown. Restrained in colour and almost devoid of detail, this broad expanse lends the scene an extraordinary sense of stillness. Jan Mankes (1889-1920) renders the landscape through many delicate, translucent layers of paint, resulting in scarcely visible brushwork and finely balanced tonal variations, characteristic of his oeuvre.This delicate technique of building up an image through successive layers of paint may find a parallel in Mankes’s early training with the glass painter J.L. Schouten in Delft, whose workshop he joined after leaving the HBS in Meppel. He subsequently attended evening classes at the Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten in The Hague, while developing an artistic practice centred on subjects close to him: nature, family and animals. In 1909, he moved with his parents to De Knipe, near Heerenveen. Despite living at a distance from the principal artistic centres, he maintained close ties with the art world through regular visits, art journals and extensive correspondence with fellow artists and friends. In 1915, he married Annie Zernike (1887-1972), the first female minister in the Netherlands, and the couple spent a year living in The Hague. The present painting, executed in October of that year, belongs to this relatively brief chapter in his life.Although the personal subjects he chose to depict remained a constant throughout his oeuvre, four distinct, overlapping phases can be discerned in Mankes's artistic development: a dreamlike period from 1908 to 1910, a more explicitly symbolic phase from 1910 to 1913, an expressive-realist period from 1913 to 1916, and a final synthesis during his last years. These phases reflect shifts in emphasis rather than abrupt stylistic changes. His encounter with Vincent van Gogh's work around 1913 coincided with a move towards more pronounced colour and a more visible brushstroke. Although dating from this period, Tram Engine in the Dunes of Scheveningen is characterised by an exceptionally subdued palette and an almost immaterial treatment of space. The painting's restrained atmosphere may be considered in the context of the transitional period in Mankes's life, when the happiness of his marriage was increasingly overshadowed by the increasing health problems from 1915 on.Mankes was eventually diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1916, prompting the couple to move to Eerbeek in the hope that its wooded surroundings would benefit his health. Despite being confined to bed for extended periods, he continued to paint whenever his strength permitted, and the couple also welcomed a son in 1918. Mankes died in 1920, aged just thirty, leaving an oeuvre of approximately 150 paintings, some 100 drawings and 50 prints. Although his career was brief, Mankes had already established a considerable reputation during his lifetime, exhibiting his work and attracting the attention of fellow artists and critics. His standing was further consolidated after his death, notably- through the commemorative exhibition held in Utrecht in 1923, where this present lot was also included. Richard Roland Holst (1868-1938) memorably described him that year as ‘Hollands meest verstilde schilder’.Tram Engine in the Dune