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A romantic view. Dutch and Belgian painting of the 19th century from the Rademakers Collection 29 October 2010 the exhibition A romantic view. Dutch and Belgian painting of the 19th century from the Rademakers Collection was opened in the halls of the 3rd floor of the Winter Palace (338-342). Beginning of each century marks a certain change in aesthetic senses. In our times it can be seen, in particular, in the ever growing interest in the 19th century painting, unlimited by paradigmatic romanticism, realism and impressionism. For this reason the State Hermitage shows artists that are almost unknown here, although 150 years ago paintings by E.Verboeckhoven, F.Willems, J.Jenisson, D.de Noter, B.Koekkoek, L.Meyer, A.Schelfhaut, P.van Schendel would surely embellish private collections of some significance in Russia. They were included in private collections of members of the imperial family, famous galleries of prince A.M.Gorchakov, count N.A.Kushelev-Bezborodko and many others. 70 works were selected for the exhibition: various landscapes – summer and winter ones, architectural, nocturnes (nigh-pieces), marines, as well as portraits, still-lifes and genre scenes. The exhibition A romantic view represents Belgian-Dutch version of general European late romanticism which is characterized by emotional lyrical perception of the reality by an artist being in harmony with the reality. At the same time, the title of the exposition conveys Jef Rademakers’ creative attitude to life and collecting. Rademakers is a writer, poet and art historian. A television company founded by him in 1980s executed orders of Dutch, Belgian and German television channels. Rademakers is an author of documentaries about art and museums and made a number of new popular programs. Over the last twenty years he has been mainly occupied by his collection of painting which is located at his house in Brashat (near Antwerp). The collection consists of more than one hundred paintings by Belgian and Dutch artists who sought the revival of great traditions of the Golden Age of painting. The collection core includes a number of “elevated” landscapes, both impressive and horrifying. Works by a Flemish painter Basil de Loose are worth mentioning. His portraits (Woman’s Portrait, Portrait of a Mother with a Child) and genre scenes (Celebration in a Village, Happy Family) outperform works of contemporary artists due to the humor and technical skills. By themes and colors Basil de Loose’s works are resembled by Adrian Wulfert’s painting Parting after Engagement which shows a parting scene between newly-weds and a bride’s family. A scope of themes used by Wulfert is wide: like Basil de Loose, he painted historical paintings and portraits parallel to idealized genre scenes. A Belgian artist David de Noter, whose works can also be seen at the exhibition, grew famous not due to his genre scenes (In the Kitchen) but due to still-lifes full of light, with uncommonly warm coloration and sharp light-and-shade. One of the best works by David de Noter in this genre (Still-life) is included in Rademaker’s collection. A greater part of the exposition is represented by paintings, mainly landscapes. Among them are works by Barend Cornelius Koekkoek, architectural landscapes by Bart von Hove, seascapes by Louis Meyer. Also presented are the collector’s favorite nocturnes: Evening Landscape with Fishermen by Peter Lodewake Kunen, Night Seascape by Petrus Van Schendel, In the Room by Petruce Kirs. An illustrated color catalog was issued for the exhibition (Publishing office of the State hermitage, 2010). The exhibition curator is Boris Asvarisch, Lead Research Associate, Ph. D. in Art History, Head of the 19th-20th Century Painting and Sculpture of the Department of Western European Visual Arts of the State Hermitage. |
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© Ãîñóäàðñòâåííûé Ýðìèòàæ,
2009. |
