Wilhelmina Drupsteen - Still Life with Nasturtiums

Wilhelmina Drupsteen (1880-1966)

Still Life with Nasturtiums

Monogrammed upper right “WD”

Oil on painter’s board

25 x 20 cm

Provenance:

Gebr. Douwes Fine Art, Amsterdam Collection; private collection, Haarlem, 2005.

Condition:

In very good condition.

Additional information:

In this intimate still life, Wilhelmina Drupsteen presents a modern approach to traditional flower painting. The drip-glazed vase forms the central anchor of the composition: its soft turquoise tone and flowing glaze marks create a lively surface that contrasts with the plain background. The flowers, bright red-orange in tone, stand out vividly against the cool blue background and give the work a strong colouristic impact.

Drupsteen uses a planar composition in which contours and fields of colour are more important than detail or realistic representation. In this respect, the work relates to modernist tendencies in the early twentieth century, when simplicity, clarity and colour contrasts were favoured over illusionistic refinement.