What is naive art? And what are the characteristics of this art style? And what is Yugoslavian naive art? Which famous painters were there who practiced this art style and who was Gerard de Nijs? All these topics are discussed in this blog.
Gerard de Nijs was a naive artist who got a lot of inspiration from his own work and other naive artworks. His passion for naive art specifically started when he saw Yugoslavian naive art. But what is naive art? And how did this art style start? And what is Yugoslavian naive art? All these topics are covered in this blog.
Gerard was born on October 31, 1918 in Kaatsheuvel; the fifth in a family of ten children. He was born into a shoemaker family, which meant that he also had to work in the shoe factory to contribute. At this time, Gerard was already inclined towards the paintbrushes, but because of the family he was born into, this dream was actually impossible.
Period in hiding
It was only during the crisis that he was able to use this passion because of the large amount of time he suddenly had. Unfortunately, Gerard was forced to be transported to Germany in 1942, where he worked in a lignite mine. At the same time, his mother became ill, which is why he was given leave in 1943 by a doctor's certificate. He returned home and immediately went into hiding. During this period in hiding, Gerard began to use his artistic talents in exchange for food.
After the war and the war in the Dutch East Indies, Gerard returned to the factory, because there was no place for artists in the reconstruction at the time.
His life changed...
In 1973 Gerard changed his life, because the shoe factory closed. But even with this golden opportunity Gerard did not dare to paint. He did not see himself as a good painter and was worried about money. The turning point in this thought was in 1977, after he went with his wife to an exhibition of Yugoslavian naïves. Gerard was speechless and the next morning he immediately started painting.
Puzzling
In his work there are often girls who turn their backs. He painted them a lot because he was convinced that they gave something enigmatic and mysterious. He also found that many people identify with the girl.
Characteristics of his art are the waters and skies that undulate symmetrically, the trees and flowers that are precisely arranged with fine details of leaves and blades of grass, and of course girls who turn their backs.
Naive art is an art style characterized by childlike simplicity and spontaneous expression. Often, the artists who painted in this style had no formal academic training, resulting in an authentic style that deviated from traditional academic standards. The naive art style was practiced all over the world, even though this art form was not taken seriously by critics in the beginning.
Characteristics of naive art
Naive art has several specific characteristics. The most important characteristic is the simple, childlike style. Every naive artwork also uses bright and uncomplicated colors without much shadow or hue variation. These choices also make the painting look simple and childlike. Another characteristic that is typical for naive art is the lack of perspective. The traditional perspective rules, which other artists learn at the academy, are often ignored.
Two-dimensional
This gives the works a flat and two-dimensional appearance. Even though the paintings initially seem very simple due to the large surfaces and the colours, there is still a lot of detail hidden in the works. The detail in naive art is not in the incidence of light and colour tones, but in the patterns.
Folklore
For example, patterns are used for skies, waters, trees, flowers and paths. Finally, the subjects of the works are often everyday scenes, folkloric stories and landscapes. Through the use of these themes, feelings of nostalgia and idealization of the simple life emerge.
How did naive art begin?
It is unclear when naive art really began, as it does not have a specific starting point. Naive art has always been present on the fringes of the formal art world. People without academic training have created art throughout history that has often been labeled as "naive" due to their lack of technical skill.
Recognized art style
However, several experts agree that naive art was first recognized as an art style in 1885. In this year, the painter Paul Signac recognized the talents of the naive painter Henri Rousseau and subsequently organized several exhibitions of his work in several renowned galleries.
Yugoslavian naive art
Gerard de Nijs started painting after seeing Yugoslavian naive art, but what exactly is Yugoslavian naive art?
Yugoslav Naive Art, also known as Balkan Naive Art, refers to naive art that originated from the countries of former Yugoslavia (Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Herzegovina, and Serbia). In terms of art style, it is not necessarily different from the general naive art style. Yugoslav Naive Art is also simple with a lot of detail in different patterns. What is special about Yugoslav Naive Art is one of the ways it started, namely the Hlebine School.
World Encyclopedia
The Hlebine School is a term used to describe Croatian Naive painters who were active in or around the village of Hlebine from around 1930. According to the World Encyclopedia of Naive art (1984), the village at the time consisted of a few muddy streets and a few houses, but due to the number of artists who came to the Hlebine School, it became virtually synonymous with Yugoslav Naive art. In the 1920s, there was a group of self-taught peasants who developed a unique style of painting.
Artistic expression
This style of painting was fueled by two great Croatian names -Antun Gustav Matoš & Miroslav Krleža- who called for an individual artistic style that would not be influenced by the West. These ideas were then picked up by the artist Krsto Hegedušić. Krsto eventually founded the Hlebine School of Art in 1930, in search of “rural artistic expression”. Ivan Generalić was the first master of the Hlebine School, and also the first to develop a distinctive personal style. The Hlebine School and the Yugoslav naïve artists grew into a worldwide phenomenon with exhibitions in Brazil, Belgium and also in Haarlem, where Gerard de Nijs discovered the style in 1977.
A few famous naive artists andone of their paintings
Sacred heart painters: In this list we can not forget the Sacred Heart painters. This group of artists were the first naive artists who participated in the first naive art exhibition in 1928, Paris. Among this group belong the following artists:
Henri Rousseau (1844 –1910, France) with “Le Rêve” (1910)
Andre Bauchant (1973 – 1958, France) with “Deux Femmes dans un paysage” (1929)
Other well-known naive artists include:
Ivan Generalić (1914 -1992, Croatia) with “The Deer” (1978)
Nikifor Krynicki (1895 – 1968, Poland) with “Willa Wiesława”
Horave Pippin (1888 – 1946, USA) with “The Ending of the War, Starting Home” (1933)
Zuzana Chalupová (1925 – 2001, Serbia) with “Russian village in winter” (1991)
