Maurice van Essche: The cloud, Spain - SOLD
Maurice van Essche
The cloud, Spain - 1964
Oil on board
50 x 40 cm
Signed and dated bottom right
Sold - 2009
Born Maurice Charles Louis van Essche, 4 October 1906, Antwerp, Belgium
Died in 1977 at the age of 71, Lake Geneva, France
During the mid 1960’s, van Essche’s work developed a pervasive metaphysical element which Büchner believed suggested a poetic introspection, an ever deepening nostalgia, drawing him to the magical atmosphere of his visionary world.
This metaphysical character is evident in ‘The cloud, Spain’, and as Büchner wrote; The artist’s preoccupation with solitude, with mysterious planes and vertiginous voids, has brought a strange detached serenity to his paintings. Yet, from beyond their seclusion they continue to communicate their human message.
Van Essche progressed beyond the pictorial with this painting, as it deals with much more than just the emotional and atmospheric aspects of the subject, as in most of his other works. The ominous presence of the dark cloud over the bridal couple, and the restrictive atmosphere created by the high walls dominating the composition, add a metaphysical element to the mystery and intrigue of the message intended.
Provenance:
The artist’s collection, 1967
Collection of Prof. AP Brink, 1999
Illustrated:
Carl Büchner, Van Essche, Cape Town, 1967, Plate 16
Bibliography:
Carl Büchner, Van Essche, Cape Town, 1967
To view the Maurice van Essche web page click here