Jan Mankes - Tench, 1917 - First State

Jan Mankes (1889-1920)

Tench

1917

First state (without the continuous line in the fin).

This is not a reprint. Printed on Japanese paper.

Hand-signed in pencil.

Woodblock: 9 x 11.8 cm

Condition:

In very good condition.

Literature: Alied Ottevanger, Jan Mankes, 1889-1920 (Oeuvre Catalogue) - Gh18.

Additional information:

Jan Mankes (1889-1920) was a Dutch artist known for his landscapes, still lifes and portraits. Born in Meppel, he studied at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in The Hague. His personal view of nature and the fragile way in which he translated it into art have earned him the nickname “the most tranquil painter in the Netherlands”.

Mankes had a deeply personal relationship with nature. He had a great love of animals and plants and was fascinated by their smallest details and constant change. This is reflected in works in which he depicts nature in an intimate and poetic manner.

He often used clear, luminous colours applied with very fine brushstrokes, creating a sense of transparency in his paintings. His later works became more dreamlike and darker in colour. He frequently depicted flowers and plants in decline or on the point of withering, and made studies of dead birds. These subjects give his work a melancholic atmosphere and evoke the cycle of nature.

This print is a fine example of Mankes’s poetic style. He often depicted animals in their natural habitats, or flowers fading in an autumn garden. His prints remain highly regarded for their aesthetic qualities and their contribution to Dutch art history.

Mankes died of tuberculosis at the age of just thirty. Despite his early death, his work continues to be admired by collectors and art lovers. A drawing or oil painting occasionally appears on the market. The vast majority of his oeuvre is held by Dutch museums, including the Rijksmuseum, Museum Belvédère, Museum MORE, Museum Arnhem and Museum Møhlmann.