Stilleven met boeken

Description

This still life by Bart Peizel gives the viewer an insight into the artist’s interests. Originally from Groningen, in 1910 he moved to Amsterdam where he became acquainted with Impressionism, and the loose brushstrokes with which he painted reveal how he was influenced by this style. In "Stilleven met boeken" he also shows his interest in this movement by depicting reproductions of two paintings by the French Impressionist Manet: "Woman Reading", and "On the Beach". There are also references to Japanese print art. At the top left of the painting we can make out a Japanese figure, and on the table there is an open book in which we can make out the word ‘holzschnitt’ (woodcut) and the letters ‘kusai’ which we can assume refer to the famous Japanese printmaker Hokusai, who was very popular in Western Europe around 1900.

The fact that Peizel loved sailing could be the reason why he depicts the book "Sur la Route du Retour" by Alain Gerbault. This French yachtsman became famous because of the accounts he wrote of his voyages, for instance to islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The still life also features the rolled-up magazine "Rire", a satirical magazine that was published in Paris between 1894 and 1971. The novel "De heks van Gouda" (The Witch of Gouda) by J.W. van Cittert, was published in 1931 and tells about the alleged evil influence exerted by an old woman in 16th century Gouda.

[2020]

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