Articles about art
A variety of articles about art
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Jan Mankes and his colors
I am “one in two-hundred females with color blindness”. I can distinct primary colors pretty well, and find my self mostly struggling with some varieties of blended colors. I have always been drawn to artworks with lots of black tones like for instance those of the Dutch painter Jan Mankes, 1889-1920. When in a room with several paintings, like in the Museum of Arnhem, these are the ones that my eyes are drawn to.

When I first saw his work in our local art museum I was blown away by the paintings of Jan Mankes. The colors he uses, the topics of his works and even the small size of his paintings, accredit to the fantastic sober, dark and natural atmosphere of his artistic legacy. The frames that were used for his paintings, are made of wood and are often very broad and robust, also complimenting the petite fragile inner state of the paintings. Since that moment in the museum, (to me almost a spiritual happening) I became a big fan of his work.
Most artworks by Mankes have that darkness that I like. A literal darkness. I think the scarceness of bright and light colors is in beautiful contrast with Mankes smooth, powdery and gentle streak.

His sometimes unusual use of color and the dark blend, makes me wonder if Mankes might have been colorblind. It takes one to know one I suppose?Darkness in old paintings, like that in the paintings of the great masters, Rembrandt van Rijn for instance, was often caused by the layer upon layer of yellowed and browned lacquer and the dependence on natural sources of daylight. Pure black paint, like we can use nowadays, was not used in the painters of the old masters. The darkness was actually created by mixing colors until very dark versions of that color were created. Next to that, their paint and pigments where natural and made by following very precise alchemy recipes. Sometimes the pigments and the paint where poorly made.

Changing after long periods of time because the pigments in the paint turned out to be unstable.Art lovers and artists themselves have come to associate the darkness in the paintings with the quality of the old masters. Later generations of artists have used special dark brown lacquer for their paintings in order to create that brown and yellowish veil over their works.

I have recently read some of the correspondence of Jan with his friend and art collector Gouma (1882 – 1926) The way Jan writes about the weather, nature and his environment, makes me think he was a fan of “the dark days before Christmas “as we say here in the Netherlands and actually enjoyed those beautiful soft and natural colors that come with that time of the year. I came to understand that Jan was very inspired by the woodblock prints of the Japanese artist Hokusai and he thus bought his very first etching press because he wanted to make prints himself.
In 1913 he started with his first prints and I am glad that he did because the woodblock prints and etchings by Jan Mankes are of an exceptional quality as you can see here on the left. Portraying a prickly animal so soft and touchable with only black and white as an option is truly the work of a great artist. I must say that I am always scouting to hopefully obtain one of those great woodblock prints by Jan Mankes. They are being sold for absurd amounts of money here in Jan Mankes’s Lowlands.
In 1920, Jan Mankes unfortunately died from tuberculosis when he was only 30 years old. He left a legacy of 150 small paintings, 100 drawings, and 50 graphics.I have translated one of Jan’s many letters for reference: “A Letter from Jan Mankes”.
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The role that frames play
‘Frames are the finishing touch of a piece of art but can also greatly devalue the piece’.
Sometimes you come across a wonderful artwork with a damaged frame.To me, these marks of aging are perfectly fine and acceptable, to some degree that is. I like to know what I am looking at namely: “ an old print in a original old frame”. The piece has seen some things, been around and took some damage along the way and that is ok with me. I would even say it adds to the piece. Most antique lovers would agree with me that some wear and tear actually is a part of the charm and beauty of an antique item.

However I have noticed that damaged frames dramatically devalue a piece of art. Frames are intended to serve as a window that you look through, they separate the artwork from the rest of the environment, so your eyes can focus on the work of art. Next to that, they also offer protection to the art piece, especially when glass is used. So when the frame is damaged, sharp visual lines are broken, and all these complimenting effects mentioned above, are compromised.

People tend to put these artworks away, since they find that these artworks are no longer suitable to put up on the wall. Maybe they will place them somewhere in the attic or cellar, and next you know, the glass gets broken and atmospheric effects have their way with the paper, leaving the artwork aged and damaged beyond its time. A shame, and moreover a reason to keep original frames in tact.This is why, I will clean up a frame when I have the chance. With some wood putty, sand paper and a collection of golden hues you can come a long way in restoring that visual line. When big chunks of a frame are missing, ornamental pieces broke off, and we are looking at a costly item, it is best to have the frame professionally restored.
I have tried to repair a few frames now and then with the help of handmade molds. This process is not that hard but has to be done precisely. YouTube has some excellent tutorials on how to do that. When looking at a golden, guided frame you obviously need valuable gold leaf and guilding skills.An other option is to look out for a new frame for the piece.
An option that I also frequently use. A beautiful example is this 1930’s painting by Annie van de Ruit that was framed in a plastic rococo style frame some time in the nineteen sixties.


Framing this great painting in a new modern and simple frame makes this impressionist piece also suitable for a younger public and a more modern style. I usually do not stray too far from the original concept, but in some cases the frame is just wrong.
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A letter from Jan Mankes
This is a translation that I made of one of the latest letters Mankes wrote. A letter he wrote while he was sick with Tuberculosis. It was addressed to a female friend and art collector. A few months later he died, only thirty years old. I think this letter illustrates the kind of person Jan Mankes was.
An August day can be so dusty and sobering”. “On these days you just want to disappear, escape all this misery imposing on you”.
However you know: “the serene evening will come and the Lapwing will be heard all over the lowlands”.
When taking a walk in the early morning dew and looking at the backs of the cows and the dampening trees, you know that only the thought of all these things justifies everything else on such a fierce, August day.“You’re not to moan and curse”, and you must not try to change it and improve it, you just seek out a quiet place somewhere on a deserted piece of land, and wait, while knowing that it will come by itself.
Nature has nothing to hide, but gives everything, and those August days, they also have their place in our mental landscape. But the winterstorm nights, they will come, and so will the lovely mornings and evenings in may, those days made of intimacy.‘Only that depth we get while living life through extremes together can make true friendships happen. Will fate allow us to go through all these stages’?
The Dutch version of this letter is found on the website: www.annezernike.nl
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19th century fashionistas

Fashion plates from the 19th century coming from European fashion magazines lik “Journal des Demoiselles” are a joy to collect. These antique fashion prints are highly collectable and can be considered to be “little works of art”.
A huge amount of money and effort was spend to make these prints visually appealing to early 19th century woman. The goal was to communicate the latest trends in fashion to them. These prints, aside from being lovely, also have a fantastic historical worth and a story to tell!Female empowerment.
The educational development of women have come a long way since “Journal des Demoiselles”, “Modes de Paris”, “Le Journal de la Beauté” , “Le Petit Echo de la Mode” and many other fashion magazines began publicizing their content. The heart of the early 19th fashion industry was seated in Paris, couturiers and fashion houses paid good money to have their fashion drawn up so they could be processed into engravings with the purpose of reproduction of the prints. The prints were often sold to other countries in Europe, as well as the United States. The magazines had branches operating in major capitals around the world.
Since the clients of the emerging fashion industry were mostly female, sellers had to visually excel in the graphics to be able to get their message across to the illiterate women of those days.
Early nineteenth century mothers and wives were not expected to be able to read and write. But next to that, it was considered socially inappropriate for woman to be educated on topics like money and politics.Fashion magazines, with lots of beautiful eye catching pictures, gradually became the first acceptable “reading” material for ladies. Fashion was an agreeable topic in higher social circles which made these magazines a stepping stone in aiding the literariness of woman.

The educational development of women have come a long way since “Journal des Demoiselles”, “Modes de Paris”, “Le Journal de la Beauté” , “Le Petit Echo de la Mode” and many other fashion magazines began publicizing their content. The heart of the early 19th fashion industry was seated in Paris, couturiers and fashion houses paid good money to have their fashion drawn up so they could be processed into engravings with the purpose of reproduction of the prints. The prints were often sold to other countries in Europe, as well as the United States. The magazines had branches operating in major capitals around the world.
Since the clients of the emerging fashion industry were mostly female, sellers had to visually excel in the graphics to be able to get their message across to the illiterate women of those days.
Early nineteenth century mothers and wives were not expected to be able to read and write. But next to that, it was considered socially inappropriate for woman to be educated on topics like money and politics. Fashion magazines, with lots of beautiful eye catching pictures, gradually became the first acceptable “reading” material for ladies. Fashion was an agreeable topic in higher social circles which made these magazines a stepping stone in aiding the literariness of woman. -
Is your antique fashion print antique?
If you collect prints you might already know: “it is important to know if the print is genuine or not”. A genuine antique print is usually far more valuable than a reproduction, especially when it is a rare antique print. So, how can you tell if your fashion print is the real stuff? Even better, how can you prevent yourself from purchasing a fake fashion print?