Late 20th-Century Portrait of a New Mexico Man, by Dirk Van Driest

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Description

On offer is a late 20th-century portrait of an American man who spends much of his time outdoors. Yet the … Read more On offer is a late 20th-century portrait of an American man who spends much of his time outdoors. Yet the approach to this piece was inspired by the Dutch Old Masters.

THE ARTIST: Dirk Van Driest (1889–1989) was born on October 4, 1889, in Palembang, Sumatra, then part of the Dutch East Indies. He was sent to the Netherlands as a child for his education. After spending eight years living and painting in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States via New Orleans in 1956. He then embarked on a long road trip across the country looking for a place to paint before ultimately falling in love with Taos and settling there permanently the following year. He eventually became a listed, highly respected member of the Taos, New Mexico art colony. He lived to be 100 years old.

STYLE: Heavily influenced by the Dutch Old Masters, especially Rembrandt, Van Driest specialized in impressionistic portraits and sweeping Southwestern landscapes. He frequently painted Native Americans from the Taos Pueblo, local ranchers and neighborhood figures. His signature technique was high-contrast impasto work, with dramatic light reflecting off the skin à la Rembrandt, and a distinctive stylized red signature on the lower left.

LOCALE: The gold foil sticker on the back reads “Artist’s Gallery / Taos, New Mexico.” This means the painting was originally framed or sold locally right in the artist's home base of Taos, New Mexico. The heavy, ornate, gold-and-black custom frame is highly typical of the mid-20th-century presentation used by regional galleries to showcase New Mexico art.
While the man in the portrait is not a globally famous public figure—meaning he isn't instantly recognizable outside of his local context—given Van Driest's history, the sitter is almost certainly a mid-century New Mexico resident. He is likely a rancher who commissioned the portrait, a friend or acquaintance of the artist. Van Driest was famously social and regularly painted people he met on the street or hosted for dinner.

Signature/Maker’s Mark: Bottom left (photo #8). Unframed dimensions: 23 inches high x 19.25 inches wide. See less