Gérard Bakker (1879-1967) / Bouquet Of Chrysanthemums And Devorative Objects / Dated 1943

GÉRARD BAKKER (1879-1967) / BOUQUET OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND DEVORATIVE OBJECTS / DATED 1943. In Gerard Bakker's work, objects are never chosen at random. In this work dated 1943, the bouquet is not simply placed in a vase: it is accompanied by a veritable tableau of objects that hark back to the great tradition of Northern European still life. The blue earthenware plate directly evokes the Delft tradition and the famous Dutch faience, omnipresent in 17th-century painting. This reference is not insignificant for an artist born in The Hague: it is clearly a dialogue with the legacy of Dutch painting, but reinterpreted with a modern 20th-century sensibility. “Exotic” Objects in the Spirit of Modern Still Lifes: The statuette, the decorated teapot, and the small precious objects lend the composition an almost Orientalist or exotic character. This taste for objects from elsewhere—or evoking elsewhere—is very present in early 20th-century decorative painting. The aim is no longer simply to represent flowers or fruit, but to create an atmosphere, a rich and refined visual world. In this painting, these objects play an essential role: they provide contrasts of materials (ceramics, metal, glass, fruit, textiles) as well as a cultural and aesthetic dimension. The still life thus becomes a complete artistic composition, close to the spirit of Art Deco and modern European painting.

60 x 70 cm (excluding frame), signed and dated lower left.

Gerard Bakker (The Hague 1879 – Knokke 1967) was a Dutch painter, active primarily in Belgium. Born in The Hague, he began his artistic training at the end of the 19th century and embarked on several study trips to France and Germany at a young age, where he discovered the modern movements that would profoundly influence his painting. He then settled in Brussels, where he spent the majority of his career. In addition to his painting, he ran a painting restoration workshop, which allowed him to closely study the techniques of the Old Masters while developing his own style. He also played an active role in the local art scene and became the founder and president of the "Kerkebeek" art circle, based in Evere. Gerard Bakker's work is rooted in the tradition of early 20th-century modern art, characterized by a sensitive approach to light and color. He is best known for his floral still lifes—often highly colorful—but he also painted landscapes and seascapes. His floral compositions, such as Cineraria and Azaleas (1941), demonstrate a taste for luminous tones and decorative harmonies. He spent the last years of his life on the Belgian coast, in Knokke, where he died in 1967. Today, he is considered a representative painter of the 20th-century Dutch and Belgian pictorial tradition, particularly in the field of floral still life.