Jan Rijlaarsdam, Dutch 1911 - 2007
Hand signed lower right
Sight size: 23.5"h x 31.5"w
Overall: 33"h x 40.25"w
Jan Reylaarsdam was a Dutch Postwar & Contemporary painter who was born in Holland in 1911. He is known for Architectural Townscape, factory, industrial site and figure painting. A student of Albertus Gerhard Hulshoff Pol (1883-1957), a well-known painter and art teacher. The painter and draftsman was born in Nieuwkoop, but moved with his parents to Hilversum in 1924, where they opened a dairy. Jan delivered orders by bicycle and, during his travels, stumbled upon Dekker, a frame shop, where he met local painters and their work. There, he learned the framer's trade and, in his spare time, drew buildings and industrial complexes in Amsterdam. A painter of towns, figures, factories and industrial sites at the border of the cities and Parisian cafe scenes. Rijlaarsdam received a Royal allowance. He painted in a figurative expressionist style. Influenced by George Hendrik Breitner, a leading figure of Amsterdam Impressionism, as well as Willem Witsen, Eduard Karsen and Willem de Zwart. He was among the group of painters who depicted daily life in Amsterdam.
In 1928, he cycled to Bruges and Antwerp, Belgium to further develop his drawing skills. He returned there regularly. He gradually gained recognition, and in 1932, he received a Royal Grant, which allowed him to pay for lessons. He joined various painting associations in Hilversum, Amsterdam (Sint Lucas), and the Gooi region. His work has a distinctive style. It wasn't until the 1950s that he finally visited Paris, France. An informal member of the "École de Paris" School of Paris. This became his favorite destination; the vibrant Parisian city life drew him in. Later, Rijlaarsdam also spent a lot of time in Spain, especially Barcelona where he was exposed to the works of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Jan Rijlaarsdam left behind an impressive and highly versatile oeuvre, encompassing styles, materials, and techniques. Ranging from realistic to impressionist and expressionism, with even forays into abstraction and abstract expressionism. Rijlaarsdam consistently managed to surprise. Jan Rijlaarsdam's favorite subjects were gathering homeless people and prostitutes in cafés. In the tradition of Isaac Israëls and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, he was a true interpreter of city life. He was a member of St. Lucas, an art society in Amsterdam, The Gooise Art Society and the Society of Figurative Art in Hilversum (Vereniging van Beeldende Kunst).
Works by Rijlaarsdam are in possession of the Singer Museum in Laren.
The artist died February 16, 2007 in Baarn, Netherlands.
He showed and has been exhibited with Jan Knikker, Jean Lucebert, Henk Bos, Aris Knikker, Gustavo Novoa, Juan Bayon Salado, Marie Henrie MacKenzie, David Schulman, Michel Henry, Dirk Herman Willem Filarski, Karel Appel, Willem Van Den Berg, Jan Wittenberg, Freek Van Den Berg, Cornelis Noltee, Arnout Colnot, Matthieu Wiegman, Harm Henrick Kamerlingh Onnes, Jan Sierhuis...
Category
Mid-20th Century Expressionist Miami - Interior Paintings
