Gerrit Haverkamp - Farmers in the Field near Rijssen, 1901

Gerrit Haverkamp (1872-1926)

Farmers in the Field near Rijssen

1901

Monogrammed lower left, dated ’01 and annotated Rijssen

Pastel on light grey paper

50 x 65.5 cm

Condition:

Excellent.

Provenance:

From the artist’s family collection.

Information:

This drawing from 1901 is one of Haverkamp’s most remarkable works on paper and demonstrates his ability to transform everyday life into a timeless modern work of art. In this large and virtuoso drawing, Gerrit Haverkamp presents a lively scene of rural life in the Twente countryside, with the fields around Rijssen as its setting. The work stands out for the contrast between the heavily worked and detailed wooden cart and the free handling of line used for the surrounding landscape and sky.

Opposed to this robustness are the soft, vibrating pastel colours that move across the composition. The fresh green of the fields, the pink of the sandy path and the blue of the sky are applied subtly but deliberately, giving the work lightness and dynamism. The sky and fields almost seem to move, as if pulsing with the life Haverkamp so enjoyed capturing.