Herman Kruyder - Trees

Herman Kruyder (1881-1935)

Trees

Monogrammed lower right H.K., c. 1930

Watercolour and chalk on paper

16 x 20 cm

Provenance:

Kunstzaal van Lier, Amsterdam; Stuyt-Leeuwenberg Collection, Haarlem.

Literature & exhibition:

Exhibited and listed in the catalogue Herman Kruyder: tekeningen en aquarellen, Haags Gemeentemuseum, 29 July - 4 September 1961, no. 54.

Information:

Herman Kruyder is one of the most distinctive representatives of Dutch Expressionism. After training at the Haarlem School of Arts and Crafts, he initially worked as a glass painter, but around 1910 he committed himself fully to painting. Within the circle around artists such as Leo Gestel and Henri Boot, he developed rapidly; early influences of luminism, Fauvism and Cubism led to an increasingly personal visual language.

During the 1910s and 1920s, Kruyder found his definitive direction: powerful, sometimes raw compositions in which figures, animals and landscapes are reduced to expressive forms. His work is characterised by strong distortions and an intense palette, in which abrasive colour contrasts and tense rhythms make the underlying emotion tangible. During this period he created compelling village scenes and psychologically charged portraits.

After moving to Blaricum in 1927, his style became increasingly introspective. Mid-tones and subtle gradations took on a greater role without diminishing the emotional intensity. Kruyder's oeuvre reflects the search of an artist who worked from inner necessity: personal, uncompromising and innovative. His paintings are now regarded as some of the most recognisable and highly valued examples of Dutch Expressionism.