Jos Van Dijk, Southern European Street Scene, 1920s, Oil Painting on Canvas

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A particularly attractive oil painting by Dutch artist Johannes “Jos” van Dijk (1913–1998), depicting a sunlit Southern European street, most … Read more A particularly attractive oil painting by Dutch artist Johannes “Jos” van Dijk (1913–1998), depicting a sunlit Southern European street, most probably painted during a stay in France.

The painting is quite different from the Dutch landscapes, farmyards and rural scenes for which Van Dijk later became best known. Here the architecture is built up in broad, strongly worked areas of ochre, cream and terracotta, punctuated by brilliant turquoise-blue shutters and a luminous blue sky.

Van Dijk applied the paint generously, creating a richly textured impasto surface that gives the façades an almost sculptural quality. The slender dark tree crossing the composition introduces a strong graphic element and adds to the spontaneous character of the work.

Jos van Dijk was born in Bolsward in 1913 and worked for much of his career in Amsterdam. He studied at the Amsterdamse Grafische School, graduating as a graphic designer in 1938, and subsequently received private lessons from Jan Pieké and H.A. van der Wal. He continued his training at the Rijksnormaalschool voor Tekenonderwijzers and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. Following the Second World War, he also spent a period studying in Paris.

Van Dijk remained a strongly independent artist, working across painting, drawing and etching. Around 1948 he briefly moved within the circle of the Cobra movement and personally knew artists including Karel Appel and Corneille. Although his work from this period became freer and more expressive, he never abandoned figurative art.

from the mid-1950s, his life took an increasingly adventurous turn with several expeditions across the Sahara, where he photographed, drew and painted during his travels. Before his first expedition, he reportedly allowed a dealer friend to choose one of his paintings as a farewell gift. According to biographical accounts, that painting later entered the Guggenheim collection in New York.

Van Dijk worked as a painter, draughtsman and printmaker, producing figures, portraits, harbour scenes, landscapes and numerous views of farms and rural life.

The painting is signed lower right and presented in a decorative antique frame with an aged, crackled finish that complements the character of the work.

The painting and frame show visible age-related wear and craquelure, consistent with their age. Please refer closely to the photographs for condition. The piece is in its original condition.

Dimensions of the canvas itself: 28 x 38 cm. with frame 42 x 52 cm This piece has an attribution mark,
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